Second Empire's flirtation with fame may be at at end after the one-time Derby favourite and champion two year old could finish only seventh behind Tumbleweed Ridge in last night's Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown.

Trained in Lambourn by Brian Meehan, Tumbleweed Ridge was landing the Group Three contest for the second year running and emerged a one-length winner over Dane River and Two-TwentyTwo.

However much of the story revolved around Second Empire, who sat just off Referendum, who left a gap up the inner on the turn. All was set fair for Second Empire but he found nothing when challenged by Two-Twenty-Two and faded disappointingly quickly.

However Second Empire, whose odds had drifted out alarmingly from evens to 3 to 1 before the race, was found to be lame afterwards, just as in his previous race at the Curragh.

The Second Empire team had better luck with their latest winning two year old, Mull Of Kintyre, a Danzig colt like Monday's winner Monashee Mountain, who put seven lengths between himself and Newpark Lady.

O'Brien had a less happy report of Black Rock Desert who injured himself in Monday's Ballyogan Stakes and will be out until the end of the season. Lavery though could take up the Ballydoyle sprinting mantle at Ascot.

Lil's Boy was an impressive winner of the Glencairn Stakes and Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning took the Roma Handicap with The Bomber Liston.