Loder's Sunday supplement

David Loder is doing a fair impression of King Midas at present, and yesterday at the Curragh his golden touch with two-year-olds continued when Bianca Nera headed a British one-two in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. In the past three weeks there have been 10 juvenile Pattern races run in Europe and Loder has won four of them, the Gimcrack and Lowther Stakes at York being sandwiched by two Group Ones, the Prix Morny and yesterday's seven-furlong event.

Bianca Nera, ridden by Kevin Darley, had to overcome a few traffic problems to get home. She was always in touch with the leaders, but as Azra made rapid headway on her outside and collared the leader Ryafan, from John Gosden's stable, inside the final furlong a handy gap disappeared, and Darley was forced to switch left. Once she saw daylight, however, Bianca Nera was able to change gear, and had half a length to spare from the Pat Eddery-ridden Ryafan.

Darley said: ''Pat's filly stayed on again once she'd been passed, and the gap just got smaller and smaller. I had to pull back and come again, but she showed her class. She'd be a Guineas filly next year.''

It would probably be hard to find a more genuine competitor than Bianca Nera, a pretty bay daughter of Salse who cost just 23,000 guineas at the yearling sales last December. She has now won pounds 132,486 for her owner, Simon Frisby, and fully justified the decision to supplement her, at a cost of Irpounds 15,000, for the race.

It is only 25 days since she made a winning debut in a five-furlong maiden at Beverley, followed a week later by the Lowther Stakes, where she had to battle hard to beat Saturday's Kempton winner Arethusa. Loder said: ''We took a chance supplementing her, but we felt the distance was ideal.

''She has the most lovely attitude, and I wish I had a stable full of ones like her. Three races in less than a month - a maiden, a Group Two and a Group One - is pretty good going by any standards.'' If Bianca Nera is seen out again this year - and Loder thinks it unlikely - it will be in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.

The third British challenger, the Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Crystal Crossing, started favourite, but had a rough passage in the final quarter- mile to finish sixth. But, athough less than three lengths covered the first six home, the result was undoubtedly the right one.

Bianca Nera's victory gave Loder his third Group One victory of the year - the Italian Derby came back in May - and took his prize money haul beyond the pounds 1m mark for the first time.

In the weekend's third Group One contest, the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp yesterday, Ash-kalani threw down the gauntlet to Mark Of Esteem as he staked his claim to be Europe's champion miler. The French 2,000 Guineas winner produced a blistering turn of foot inside the final furlong to beat his old rival Spinning World a length and a half, and is now likely to take on the Newmarket Guineas hero in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot later this month.

Some considered the Aga Khan's three-year-old unlucky to have lost his unbeaten record when touched off by Bijou d'Inde in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. His regular pilot Gerald Mosse was suspended that day, but re-united with the Aga Khan's colt, delivered his final thrust to perfection to take the pounds 118,577 prize. The jockey said: ''He was just brilliant. I have ridden some good milers but this one is just fantastic.''

There were further foreign strikes for British raiders through Michael Stoute's Always Aloof, who made all to beat hot local favourite Kassani in the Prix Gladiateur and thus thwart a Group race treble for Ash-kalani's trainer, Alain Royer-Dupre, who also took the Prix des Chenes with Nombre Premier. And in Norway, Ian Balding's Jayannpee was awarded a shenanigan- packed Taby Sprint after passing the post third, beaten two heads.

Jayannpee's rider Frankie Dettori successfully objected to the winner, Humbert's Landing, who had carried him across the course, and in a separate incident the second finisher, Hakiki, was demoted for interference to the fourth.