A FEW weeks ago I wrote about the maiden success of Johannes Vermeer (see The Irish Field August 29th) under the heading ‘Vermeer enters the classic picture’.

Last weekend he enhanced that prospect with his success in the Group 3 Willis Champions Juvenile Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown.

The ownership of the colt resides with Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Teo Ah Khing. This is the same quartet associated with Australia who landed the very same prize two years ago. The last named, Teo Ah Khing, was in jubilant form after the race on Saturday as he was present to see his son of Galileo win. He has much to look forward to with the colt.

Accompanying him at the races was Eddie Irwin and he and Teo had the further pleasure of celebrating the real coming of age of their breeding partnership called Desert Star Phoenix Jvc.

Desert Star is Teo’s half of the project and Johannes Vermeer is from the first crop that they have produced from matings they planned. The mare Inca Princess was sent back to Galileo the year she foaled the Aidan O’Brien trained colt and she produced a full-sister.

The partnership is also delighted with the success enjoyed by another mare in their ownership. She is Muravka, a daughter of High Chaparral and the dam with her first foal of the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny winner The Wow Signal. That son of Starspangledbanner also landed the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and was rated the best juvenile colt in France last year. Sadly injury prevented him from running this year and he is embarking on a stud career at Swettenham Stud in Australia. Nest year he will stand in France.

Muravka’s second produce is the two-year-old filly Wowcha and this daughter of Zoffany, sold for £150,000 as a yearling last year, was due to make her racecourse debut yesterday. She is also trained by John Quinn who handled her year older half-brother. The third progeny of Muravka is a yearling filly by Rock Of Gibraltar and she will not be trained by John Quinn as Mark Johnston made the winning bid at the DBS Premier Yearling Sale last month, paying £80,000 for her.