Vadiana

Vadiana was a little unlucky not to win the seven-and-a-half-furlong fillies’ maiden at Bellewstown last Thursday.  Slowly away from her inside draw, Ronan Whelan squeezed her along early so that she got a position in fifth place and along the inside.  It appeared that she got a little out-paced when they quickened at the three-furlong marker, and it looked like she became a little unbalanced on the track when her rider asked her to pick up.  She was only sixth as they passed the furlong marker but, taken to the outside at that point, she finished off her race strongly, getting to within a half a length of the winner Native Queen by the time they got to the winning line.  Three strides later, she was in front.

It was a fine performance by Tracey Collins’ filly.  It was just her second run, it was a nice step forward from her racecourse debut at Gowran Park at the end of August, made all the more admirable by the fact that she came home with just three of her shoes.  A half-sister to Girouette, who was trained by Tracey Collins to win the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes, Vadiana could do better on a more conventional track, and possibly stepped up to seven furlongs.  She goes well  on this easy ground, so she will be of interest if she races again before the end of the season.

Bellewstown, 29th September 2022