Weld newcomer well up to speed

Vinnie Roe produced a remarkable burst of speed to score for his owner, the movie producer Jim Sheridan, at Leopardstown last night and left his trainer Dermot Weld proclaiming: "You've seen nothing yet!"

The evidence of the market for the auction maiden suggested we were going to see very little of the newcomer as he drifted alarmingly from 6 to 4 to 4 to 1.

But the market hints were all wrong as Vinnie Roe surged from last of the nine runners to overhaul the favourite Affianced close home and eventually score by a cosy neck.

It was a first two-year-old winner of the season for Weld who admitted his juveniles have "just not been right with lots of little viruses floating around the place."

The Curragh trainer though expects a big future for Vinnie Roe who is the first horse he has trained for Sheridan, most famous for producing the Oscar winning My Left Foot, who is currently working in Hollywood.

"He's by Definite Article and like Definite Article was as a two year old, he is a backward colt who is sure to come on by leaps and bounds," said Weld of the £50,000 Goffs purchase. "It was clear how green he was there and he's still only a baby. We'll try and find a Listed race for him and he's in the National Stakes."

Michael Kinane's intended mount for the Silver Flash Stakes, Dream, was taken out after being to be in season but the champion jockey just switched to another Ballydoyle newcomer, Freshwater Pearl, who beat her other stablemate La Vida Loca by half a length.

"It was a big call in a Listed race, especially racing by herself up the middle, but she did it well," said Aidan O'Brien. "She will get further and we might run her in the CL Weld Park Stakes after a break."

It was another newcomer that landed the 12 furlong maiden but this time it was the 20 to 1 Count Us In who flashed past the market leaders Among Equals and Insenor in the closing stages.

"I thought there was a race in him but I thought it might have been in January!" beamed the winning trainer Jeremy Harley who is one of eight in the Count Us In syndicate.

"It was 50-50 about running here or waiting for hurdles in January and I'd the deciding vote," added Harley of the winner. "He jumps super and don't be surprised to see him at Roscommon."

Seamus Heffernan warmed up for a possible Irish Derby ride on Glyndebourne by winning the nine furlong handicap on Jim Bolger's Citizen Edward while Thurles born Ghrainne Clancy, 17, won the apprentice handicap on the 14 to 1 Little Sean.