New Energy lights up the Curragh© Photo Healy Racing
New Energy was another horse with previous barrier trial experience to put in a professional performance on racecourse debut in the seven furlong juvenile maiden at the Curragh.
The New Bay colt broke smartly to take an early lead from China Seas and J J Jumbo and travelled smoothly under Robbie Colgan at the halfway point.
Colgan asked him to go and take the race by the scruff of the neck a furlong down and the 11/1 shot increased his lead with 100 yards to go.
He powered home by two and a half lengths from Sir Antonino (5/1). Barud was another two and a quarter lengths back in third at 11/2.
Sheila Lavery said: “I have to thank Gary Halpin who gave this horse a big recommendation. He didn’t put the gun to his head at the Breeze Ups because he was suffering a little bit from sore shins.
“I left him in today but I was praying for rain just to ease the ground a bit. I thought so much of him that he had an entry in the Beresford but I didn’t want his first run to be at that level and have a hard race.
“He has a Guineas entry and I think he’s something very special. He has a very natural high cruising speed.
“He ran twice in barrier trails. He was very green the first time when I didn’t put a cross noseband on him and he won the second time.
“I would love to run him in a winners-of-one but those sort of races are really missing from the programme. He could go for something like the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown.”
New Energy was fifth in a Dundalk barrier trail in August before winning his next barrier trial in mid-September.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
