Vinnie can shrug off top weight
Dermot Weld’s admirable six-year-old has done the business first time up for the past two campaigns and that is, obviously, encouraging. He was last seen back in October when finishing fourth in the French Leger at Longchamp, in a contest run in very testing conditions.
Previously, Vinnie Roe ran a cracker in the Arc at Longchamp, fifth to Dalakhani. His only other two races were at home, landing a Listed event at Leopardstown and a third Irish Leger at the Curragh.
He has plenty in hand at the weights of all his older rivals, but the three-year-old Darabanka, in receipt of 30lbs, is the dark horse.
She made a good start when taking a Wexford maiden, from subsequent winner, Russian Tzar, but this does represent a major step up in class.
Weld can start off his evening by saddling the well-drawn Hard Warrior to land the Irish Stallion Farms’ Median Auction Maiden.
The son of Gulch was a place and a length behind principal rival, Globalized, who had the benefit of two previous outings, when they filled the minor positions behind Wuthering Heights at Gowran Park and is fancied to find the improvement!
Seamus Heffernan can combine with Tommy Stack to take the Irishtown Maiden with Enfield Chase. He was well touted to make a winning debut on this track in late March, but went down by half a length to Gilberto and has been given plenty time to mature.
Heffernan stands in for the suspended Jamie Spencer aboard Showdance in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden.
The Ballydoyle juveniles are simply flying and there seems no good reason to oppose this son of Kingmambo!
