Charlie Appleby’s Quorto remains unbeaten after National Stakes win at the Curragh

QUORTO maintained his unbeaten record with a stylish win in the Group 1 National Stakes.

Charlie Appleby's two-year-old was facing his toughest task yet as he lined up against Aidan O'Brien's talented Anthony Van Dyck.

As the race reached the closing stages the two market leaders went to the head of the field, but it was Quorto who got the better of Anthony Van Dyck.

Appleby said: "It's lovely to have a horse that travels as well as he does.

"Today he's got into a fight and hopefully he'll take a lot from it. We're dreaming that he'll go into a Classic year now."

Earlier on the card, Skitter Scatter continued her rise through the ranks with a big win in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

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It was a dream result for trainer Patrick Prendergast and jockey Ronan Whelan, and by far the biggest success of both of their careers.

Skitter Scatter was cut to 20-1 from 33s for next year's Qipco 1000 Guineas.

Prendergast said: "I'm quite astounded how good she was. I was thinking if she was in the first three it would be a marvellous result and we could head for the Guineas and have a chance of running well in it.

"Now I'm just starting to think maybe she might win the Guineas!"

He went on: "I was worried coming into today because I felt it had been a long year for her.

"When she came we just wanted to win our maiden and sure we tried to win one of the earliest maidens of the year at Dundalk.

"She's incredible in that she's kept going and just kept improving. I was also worrying too that just, as of late, she's just starting to grow, finally, so she's not going to be so small next year.

"We're a small yard and all my staff have worked incredibly hard with this filly. They are all involved with her and that's the beauty of a small yard."