Friendless Vega impresses on start two

Blue De Vega ran out an impressive winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden scoring under Emmet McNamara for Michael O'Callaghan.

The son of Lope De Vega was the subject of a substantial gamble on his debut at Dundalk, but he lost his chance at the start there when breaking slowly from the stalls.

Installed the 5/4 clear favourite last night he proved friendless with punters and opened on-course at 3/1 before going off at 7/2 (touched 4's).

Prominent throughout he cruised through to lead under two furlongs from home and he soon stretched clear, going on to score easily by four and three parts of a length. Tribal Beat finished second at 10/1 under Kevin Manning for Jim Bolger while the well-backed Mizaah (20/1 last night and from 10's to 8'1 on-course) was a nose away in third under Chris Hayes for Kevin Prendergast. Almanaara was sent off the 11/4 favourite (9/1 last night and from 10/3 on-course) and he finished fifth under Pat Smullen for Dermot Weld.

Michael O'Callaghan said afterwards: "He looks very good, and nothing can get him off the bridle at home. He'd a good blow afterwards, and should come on again.

"He could go for the Kilavullan Stakes. He'll have just one more run this year before we put him away for the winter.

"Obviously the word got out the first day that he was working well at home. We always thought a lot of him, I bought him at the breeze-ups at Goresbridge.

"He is very well-bred, he is by Lope De Vega out of a Montjeu mare. He has a lot of natural speed and you saw that today, he travelled so well into the race.

"He is probably bred for a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half. Physically he looks like a horse that wants a mile and a quarter, he has that sort of build.

"He just has a great attitude and he is just a horse that you have to keep the lid on. He is very forward going and he loves his work.

"He is a lovely horse to have in the yard and he would excite you in the morning. Rapid Applause is the only horse we have in the yard that can lead him.

"He is obviously a very, very nice two-year-old and the Killavullan is probably high on the agenda now after that.

"I don't know the programme book inside out but getting him home is the most important thing and he is a very exciting horse for us to have in the yard.

"He was in the stalls for the best part of seven minutes at Dundalk and we all know that's kind of a problem with the stalls in Irish racing, that it takes a long time to load horses and it affects them.

"They are standing in there for so long and they just go to sleep.

"He had a good experience that day, he walked out of the stalls and he had to come through the whole pack. He got a bit tired for the first time in his life and it done him now harm.

"He has come out of it very well and you could see it there today that he was very professional.

"He broke very smartly and settled behind the leaders and stayed very well."

Emmet McNamara added: "I was hoping he might do that. Michael was quite confident about him the first day he ran at Dundalk and he was even more confident today.

"He said he came forward plenty from his first run. It was an eye-catching run the first day having missed the break and he was in the stalls for a long time.

"He has no issue with them but he was in a bit later today and Michael had done a bit with him since.

"He popped out smart, travelled well and got up nice and handy. He put them to the sword well a furlong down and quickened well and stayed on well to the line.

"You'd like everything about him really."

STEWARDS REPORT

The Stewards interviewed Pat Keating, authorised representative of A.P.O'Brien, trainer of Hudson Canyon Immortal Bridge and Schubert (USA) regarding the late arrival of their horses into the Parade Ring prior to this race. Evidence was heard from the authorised representative concerned who stated that he had difficulty in applying the tongue tie to Immortal Bidge and with having three 2 year old horses first time out to saddle, it took him longer than he expected to ensure everything was in order, and he apologised to the Stewards for their late arrrival into the Parade Ring. Having considered the evidence, the Stewards reminded A.P. O'Brien, through his representative, of his responsibilities in this regard.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee