Downforce blows opposition away at Cork

Downforce made light of the testing conditions to run out a most impressive winner of the Listed Cork Stakes on his seasonal reappearance.The Willie McCreery-trained five-year-old travelled supremely well throughout on the heels of leader Spirit Quartz and was still full of running with two furlongs to travel, as the rest of the field came under pressure.Billy Lee let his mount stride on a furlong and a half out and quickly went further and further clear, eventually crossing the line 12 lengths ahead of Penny Pepper, with Only Mine in third.McCreery said of his 3-1 winner: "He loves that ground and Penny Pepper finished second to us last year too (at the Curragh) so it's the same two and those Fast Companys love that ground."He just goes through it when others can't and I was delighted to see it barely raceable today. The ground, to me, is barely raceable and he was the only one who could handle it."We'll have to try him on a bit better ground now - I won't ever run him on firm but he has run crackers on good ground in the past."We'll keep stepping him up, he's a grand horse but today was his Derby as we have to make hay with him early on, and late on, in the year."