FROM the first three races at Leopardstown on Sunday, Dermot Weld won two, and has the Irish 1000 Guineas in mind for both winners. Swelter (6/1) completed the double for her trainer and jockey Chris Hayes when making it two from two in the Ballylinch Stud "Priory Belle" Stakes.

A smart debut winner at the track last July, the Juddmonte homebred dropped down to seven furlongs on her three-year-old return and raced in midfield in the early stages. Pushed along as they turned for home, she was switched right at the two-furlong pole and ran on well to lead inside the final furlong.

While some rivals finished strongly, Swelter kept on to win by a length and a quarter from the 5/6 favourite Exactly. The Joseph Murphy-trained Cercene (28/1) made an impression in third, having suffered a troubled passage before running on well.

“It was a good renewal of the race, I’d say, and a very competitive Group 3,” said the winning trainer. “I was delighted with her because it was only her second start. My concern was that seven might just be a little bit sharp for her, but my reason for running her was that she’d learn a lot from it and it’s a lovely track for a filly to learn on.

“I thought she came home very nicely. We’ll see how she comes out of the race, but my present thought would be that I see her being an Irish 1000 Guineas filly; I don’t see her going to Newmarket, and that she’ll probably get 10 furlongs as the year progresses.”

Aga Khan blueblood

Dermot Weld and Chris Hayes had won the opener, the "Look De Vega" At Ballylinch Stud Fillies Maiden, with an exciting prospect in Tarima. Closely related to triple Group/Grade 1 winner Tarnawa, the Aga Khan homebred was the subject of strong market support, and was eventually send off the 4/7 favourite.

Settled at the back of the seven-runner field, the chesnut quickened smartly once asked, as they passed the three-furlong pole. She continued to run on strongly in the straight, was ridden to lead inside the final furlong and kept on to score by a length and three quarters.

Noli Timere (12/1) claimed runners-up honours, three parts of a length in front of Made U Blush (18/1), who had made most of the running. Appropriately, the winner is by Lope De Vega, who stands at Ballylinch Stud and is the sire of their latest recruit, Look De Vega.

“She’ll learn a lot from it,” Weld said of the winner. “Chris hadn’t planned to sit quite so far back on her, but she got a bump at the start and it meant that he had to take his time. It was actually a blessing in disguise, because it meant that he was able to teach her more between horses.

“She was a backward filly last year, so I didn’t get to teach her that much. She’s going to learn an awful lot from that race. Hopefully she develops into a stakes filly and getting blacktype with her will be the next plan.”

It was notable how long it took Chris Hayes to pull up Tarima, and Weld confirmed that a step up in trip will be considered for her, though the versatility of her siblings would make him “keep an open mind.”

On possible targets, he said: “Whether she could be an Irish 1000 Guineas filly must be considered, or should we go on and look at 10 furlongs with her, but that will be decided in the coming weeks.”