I BELIEVE this is the first time that a winner has come under two of our banners, being one to watch and also coming in as a bargain of the week.

Bred by Michael and Fiona O’Connor at their Glenbeg House, Irish Lace (Crystal Ocean) sold as a foal at Goffs in 2022 for just €4,000. This was half her sire’s advertised fee – which has never varied once in his seven years at stud - and the couple’s reaction to that transaction must have been pure disappointment, especially when she sold to such a good judge as Warren Ewing.