RACING:THE top-class mare Voler La Vedette, runner-up to Quevega in last week's World Hurdle at Punchestown, will remain in training next season. The Colm Murphy-trained star failed to get in foal when bred to Presenting last spring and it has been decided to postpone a return to the breeding shed, writes Brian O'Connor.

Voler La Vedette secured a first Grade One victory of her career in December’s Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and ran the race of her life when runner-up to Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham last month.

After her second to Quevega on Thursday, Murphy reported yesterday: “She seems grand and I think we just met one too good on the day. She still ran a blinder and I suppose in hindsight, having had a hard race in Cheltenham, we were asking a lot of her to do the same again. But she still ran very well.”

He added: “We’ll give her a good break now and get her back for next season. The owners are keen to give her another year, which is great news for me, and we’ll see where we are after that.”

Murphy also confirmed yesterday that his former two-mile chase champion Big Zeb will also remain in training. “He’s come out of his race well and he ran his race. I think he probably ran to form. We’ll have a look at the programme book and probably take a slightly different route next season,” he said.

“There are a lot of good two milers around and we might try to avoid those and try to find some easier races for him, if there are any.”