THE Michael Halford-trained Iontas ran at Dundalk last week and, while she has yet to stamp herself as noteworthy in her 10 starts to date, she is a rarity in racing in that she is a twin.

Breeders and veterinary surgeons usually do everything in their power to avoid twins being born. Falling pregnant with twins is a disaster for any thoroughbred mare. More often than not, the mare will abort both pregnancies quite early on. If a mare manages to carry the pregnancies to birth, most mares will not survive the two foalings. If the mare successfully carries and delivers twins that survive birth, it is typically expected that at least one if not both of the twins will be notably undersized, lengthening their odds of survival and making them very little practical value even if they do survive.