Canford Cliffs battered his rivals in the Irish 2000 guineas at the Curragh, dismissing the opposition with perhaps this season's most impressive three year-old performance.

Richard Hughes had said that Canford Cliffs was "electric" before the Guineas, but even he must have been surprised by the ease with which Mr. Richard Hannon, the trainer of the 9-4 favourite took this Classic at a winning time of 1 m 37.64 s.

Xtension took up the running with others following him across the Curragh track. They were all set to work on their mounts. Richard Hughes (recorded as the tallest flat racing jockey in UK keeping at 5 ft 10 inches), who is a very common name in Turf authority Of India , was statuesque aboard Canford Cliffs, exuding confidence as his mount picked off rivals one by one.

Then the contest was over in an instant. With the race at his mercy, Hughes literally stopped toying and let Canford Cliffs go on his own. The response was immediate and although Steinbeck who sat just behind, tried to go with him, he could not track Canford Cliffs in this blistering form.

The power shifts to Irish 1000 Guineas now for the Sunday Music show. Soaring temperatures forced officials at the Curragh to put in place a plan to water the entire track on the eve of the Etihad Airways Irish 1,000 Guineas.

The aim is to maintain the going at its official description of good to firm and course manager Paul Hensey said: "It's drying out by the minute, but we have been watering the round course during the afternoon and the sprinklers will be on the straight course immediately after the last race.

The finest fillies in the UK and Europe head to the Curragh to compete in the 2010 Irish 1000 Guineas. With Newmarket Guineas winner, Special Duty, set to race in the French equivalent, the way is clear for another of Europe’s top fillies to emerge as the Irish champion miler for the season.

A maximum field of 19 line-ups here and it is hoped that the draw does not prove as significant as its Newmarket equivalent earlier in the month.

The Mick Channon-trained filly Music Show has been at the forefront of the betting despite being beaten into sixth place in the Newmarket equivalent earlier this month. On that occasion she was the chief sufferer of the draw.

Gile Na Greine finished third in Newmarket but was on the right side of the draw and has a little to prove here. She still has a strong chance however as the form was later ranked in France with Special Duty “winning” her second guineas of the season. The Galileo (Ire) filly finished third to Jacqueline Quest and Special Duty in the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket on May 2. Jacqueline Quest finished first by a nose and was disqualified and placed second behind Special Duty, who went on to score another victory via disqualification in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches - French 1000 Guineas (Fr-G1) last Sunday at Longchamp.

She had run out a convincing winner of the Nell Gwyn Stakes on her previous start and is among four British challengers seeking Classic glory.

The others are her main market rival Anna Salai, having her first run for Mahmood Al Zarooni since moving from Andre Fabre's stable, Stan Moore's Lady Darshaan and Charlie McBride's Blue Maiden.

Lillie Langtry leads Aidan O'Brien's five-strong assault but has something to prove as she makes her seasonal debut. Famous and Lillie Langtry (Ire) finished second and third, respectively, in the Moyglare Stud, and they will be part of a five-filly contingent for trainer Aidan O’Brien on Sunday. Lillie Langtry won the $1,253,562 Tattersalls Timeform Fillies’ 800 in October and finished eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She landed the valuable Tattersalls Timeform Fillies' 800 at Newmarket on her start, and then went over to America for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf. Despite being sent off favourite, she could finish only eighth although an injury did emerge in the aftermath.

O'Brien's other runners are Famous, Full Of Hope and Queen Of Troy as the Ballydoyle trainer goes for a fifth win in the Classic.

A strong home team also includes the Tommy Stack-trained duo of Lolly For Dolly and Cnocandancer, Kevin Prendergast's Termagant and Crystal Gal, Dermot Weld's Bethrah, the Paul Deegan-trained Lady Springbank and Jim Bolger's Atasari.

Song Of My Heart represents David Wachman, who sent out Again to lift the prize 12 months ago. Brian Nolan's What About Me completes the line-up. The only withdrawal at the final declaration stage was the John Murphy-trained Silk Slippers.

Another news which is coming in, as I write this article is that India’s Ministry of Agriculture has lifted an import ban on Thoroughbred breeding stock from several countries, including the U.S. and Great Britain. The ban has been in place for several years because of concerns over contagious equine metritis (CEM), even though no positives for the venereal disease have been reported in the U.S.

“We’re over the moon about it,” said Chauncey Morris, sales associate for Keeneland Association. “That’s a growing place for Thoroughbreds, and the Indian economy has been performing very well. It was really the breeders that were persistent with both our embassy and the British high commission on showing the proper science that this is a manageable disease.

“India was the only country and signatory of the [World Organization for Animal Health] that was banning British and American imports based on this.”

India had taken no action against horses from Ireland, and Indian buyers were active at sales there through bloodstock agent Hugo Merry, who was the leading buyer at Goffs at both the November breeding stock sale and February sale. Merry sent 98 mares to India in 2008 and 110 in ’09.

Keeneland lobbied for the ban to be lifted, along with England’s Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and the National Horse Breeding Society of India.

“The implications for British breeders and sales consignors are significant,” Tattersalls said. “In 2009 Indian purchasers accounted for 79 mares at a value of 1.7-million Euros. This is a strong indication of the growing importance of the Indian Thoroughbred industry.”