MOON De Vega (15/8 favourite) became the third filly or mare to achieve a blacktype win for Paddy Twomey already this season when she took the nine-furlong Listed Irish Stallion Farms Glencairn Stakes at the first of Leopardstown’s Bulmers Live meetings on Thursday evening.

Billy Lee settled the daughter of Lope De Vega in second, taking a lead off Vega Magnifico. She always looked like she would get to that rival in the final furlong but then had to hold off the challenge of Aidan O’Brien’s returning Salt Lake City, who caught the eye with his run to finish second.

The four-year-old was bought for 98,000gns in February and now runs for Arabian Bloodstock. Previously with Ralph Beckett, she finished third in the Chester Oaks last season and eighth to Tuesday in the Epsom Oaks, but her Doncaster maiden win was her sole success at three.

Oracle

Once again her new trainer has worked the oracle as she doubled her tally straight away on seasonal debut at Gowran and now has added significant value to her worth with this success. Twomey thinks she has every chance of progressing again.

“She is a nice, giving filly,” he said.

“She has won her winners’ race and now has a listed race so the next logical step is a Group 3. We haven’t been that hard on her so hopefully she can keep improving.

“I initially thought nine furlongs might be a little sharp for her but she did it well at Gowran. Billy said she is very comfortable at that distance and that it was quick enough ground at Gowran, so she’d be okay here.

“I’d say she will go for the Kilboy (Estate Stakes) over nine furlongs on Oaks weekend. She has some good form in Britain so hopefully she can keep progressing now.”

The easiest winner of the night came in the Plusvital Speed Gene Handicap with Dermot Weld’s Couer D’or (4/1 jont-favourite) leading all the way for Chris Hayes, kicking off the bend to come four and a quarter lengths clear of the runner-up Coill Na Sionainne. The lightly-raced seven-year-old ran really well to be second to Sirjack Thomas on his seasonal debut in a 20-runner handicap at the Curragh on Irish Guineas weekend and showed the benefit of that.

Weld may have had his tongue in his cheek when trying to play down the superiority of his horse in the winner’s enclosure but it is unlikely the handicapper will see it that way. The Nasrullah Handicap back at this course was identified as a possible target.

The Dubawi gelding is owned by Sean O’Connor and Mark Phelan. The latter, managing director of Phelan Caswell Insurances, a long-time sponsor at Leopardstown, was scoring his first win at the Dublin track.

THE Listed King George V Cup looked a poor race for the grade beforehand and was run at an unsatisfactorily slow pace, but it did allow Tower Of London (11/10 favourite) to get back on the winning trail for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.

The Coolmore partners-owned colt was sent off 2/1 second favourite to Auguste Rodin in the Champions Juvenile Stakes here last September but he disappointed when last of five there and he failed to fire in the Derby Trial Stakes on his seasonal debut at this course on heavy ground.

Settled in behind the leader New Variant, he settled well in the circumstances, took it up for Ryan Moore at the two-furlong marker before drifting to his left but all the time getting away from the running-on Shamwari in the sprint finish.

A full-brother to Capri, this was just his fourth start ever, so he may well yet develop into a top level performer but his trainer admitted straight away there was little to learn from his winning performance here.

“We’re delighted he won but we didn’t learn a lot, it was very slow pace,” O’Brien said. “We know that he can quicken, we saw that as a two-year-old. He might be a horse that likes to take his time, they were going so slow that Ryan had to go with him when he did - it was a perfect ride again.

“He won his maiden here and he was a bit keen in the Group 2 when Wayne (Lordan) rode him and he got a bit tired. He ran badly in the Derby trial, probably due to the ground. Looking at him, he is probably a mile-and-a-quarter-plus horse, with plenty of pace in front of him and take your time. There are a couple of races at Ascot he could go to now, he could go a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half.”

That win gave O’Brien, Moore and the Coolmore partners a double having earlier took the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden with Buttons (4/6 favourite). The daughter of Kingman showed signs of inexperience, firstly when whinnying in the parade ring, and then by running greenly during the race, with Moore needing all his skills to coerce her forward without affecting her adversely on her debut.

She wore down the Ger Lyons-trained Serious Notions by a flared nostril. The runner-up showed good courage to go through a gap and take it up in the straight, while O’Brien’s other runner Content caught the eye with her fast finish to be third.

Buttons, a daughter of Wonder Of Wonders, was seen as a potential Chesham candidate but those plans have been shelved now.

“We rushed her a little bit to find out if she was a Chesham filly but Ryan just thought she was a little bit babyish,” O’Brien explained.

“We will just pull back and give her a bit of time now. She could be one for the Debutante. Ryan said seven furlongs would be a minimum for her, so the Silver Flash could be an option for her back here in July.”

Fowler delighted to score first flat win

LORNA Fowler was delighted to get a win into Call Her Now at Listowel on Monday but she may well have exceeded that satisfaction by having her first ever flat winner three days later, when Agenda (11/1) was delivered perfectly by Sean Bowen to deny Morph Speed on the line in the mile-and-a-half Wild Youth Apprentice Handicap.

The six-year-old mare, recruited from France for owners Alex and Olivia Frost, only had her first run for Fowler at Roscommon last month, finishing sixth to Sequoiaspirit.

“Today is really great, I’m just delighted to have my first flat winner,” Fowler beamed. “She is gorgeous, really tough. I think her run at Roscommon brought her on - she just needed to get back in the zone.

“Sean timed it really well, he rode a great race and she toughed it out for him. The 7lbs off her back made a big difference. She is in foal to Maxios and she has got until the end of July to run. We were going to run her over hurdles but we’ll see now, I’ll talk to the owners.”

Hightimeyouwon (18/1) came home late to claim the mile Skippio Express Collection Handicap for Adam Caffrey and Ado McGuinness, who was adamant the quick ground is imperative for the seven-year-old.

Caffrey held his mount up in mid division before pulling him widest of all after the two-furlong marker. The pair came with a withering run to mow down Who Not What on the line.

The son of Garswood was acquired by Shamrock Thoroughbreds for 18,000gns in August ‘21 and this was his second win for them.

The concluding mile Bulmers Live At Leopardstown Handicap sprang a surprise with 33/1 shot Parana Delta given a fine ride from the front by Hugh Horgan to win for Joseph O’Brien.

Horgan sent the John Millar-owned filly forward after a couple of furlongs and probably got himself a handy lead, before kicking off the turn and holding enough in reserve to see off the faster finishing Quick Blessing and Mobilize.

This was only the daughter of Expert Eye’s second run on turf and O’Brien felt that the quick ground, the ride she was given by Horgan and first-time cheekpieces all contributed to this improved effort.