Wendla makes all for Leopardstown honours

Group Three strike for Ger Lyons’ filly, with options open for the future.

Ger Lyons’ Wendla landed a Group Three prize at Leopardstown when taking the Al Shira’aa Racing “Mutamakina” Stakes.

The three-year-old is owned and bred by Juddmonte, and her dam, Intercontinental, is a daughter of the great mare Hasili.

Wendla started her season on a good note when winning a Naas maiden, after which she was sixth over seven furlongs in the Priory Belle at Leopardstown in early April.

She returned to the same course and over a mile this time under Colin Keane, starting at odds of 7-1 in a field of seven and making the running from an early stage.

From there she was never passed, pulling away to secure a three-quarter-length victory with Aidan O’Brien’s Buttons, the 6-5 favourite, the runner-up behind her.

“She’s a lovely, honest filly. The ground comes all the same to her, she’s handled heavy and she handled that,” said Lyons.

“She’s a light filly so I didn’t have any doubts she’d handle that.

“I probably had her wrong and Colin had her right. I thought the way the race was run it wasn’t going to suit, she’s pacier than I gave her credit for.

“I had her down as a horse, going forward, that would go further sooner rather than later.

“Colin has her as having more speed than I gave her credit for, thankfully he was right. He was in the right place on her and she answered and did it well. You couldn’t knock the performance.

Wendla after winning the Al Shira'aa Racing 'Mutamakina' Stakes during the Derby Trials
Wendla after winning the Al Shira’aa Racing ‘Mutamakina’ Stakes during the Derby Trials (Lorraine O’Sullivan)

“When you get those fillies, you try to win a maiden to tick the first box and then you are looking for black type and winning black type is brilliant.

“I just thought we were going too slow, they were doing 14-seconds fractions and that’s too slow. I was thinking we’re in trouble and that speed is just going to go past us. Thankfully I was wrong about my filly, she’s quicker than I gave her credit for.”

When asked if she could tackle the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Lyons added: “I wouldn’t think so but we’ll talk to Barry and Rory (Mahon, of Juddmonte) and better brains than me will decide that.

“She’s earned the right and the lads can decide that. If she ends up doing what Zarinsk did last year, we’ll be over the moon.

“There are big races here at the end of the year that we can aim for, the mile race (Matron Stakes).”

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