In the following spring he showed great improvement, winning the Madrid Handicap and the Tetrarch Stakes before recording a decisive victory over a strong field in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

As a breeding stallion Cape Cross, who stands at the Kildangan Stud in County Kildare has had considerable success, being the sire of Ouija Board, Sea the Stars, Golden Horn and Able One.

After being restrained by Hayes in the early stages he made steady progress in the last quarter mile to finish third, beaten two and a half lengths by the Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite Black Sea.

The 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold started favourite ahead of 2015 Champion two-year-old Air Force Blue with Awtaad third in the betting at odds of 9/2.

The other five runners were Blue de Vega, Bravery, Air Vice Marshal (fourth in the 2000 Guineas), Sanus Per Aquam (Somerville Tattersall Stakes) and Shogun (runner-up in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial).

[9] At Royal Ascot on 14 June Awtaad faced Galileo Gold again in the St James's Palace Stakes, but the odds-on favourite for the race was The Gurkha, the winner of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains.

On 10 September Awtaad was dropped to Group Three class for the Boomerang Stakes over one mile at Leopardstown and started the 2/1 second favourite behind the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It A Bomb.