Lupini strikes for third year running in auction maiden Always prominent under Wayne Lordan, Sovreigns Joy justified 15/8 favouritism in Down Royal’s Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden over seven furlongs. Hugging the rail throughout, the Kameko colt shrugged off the errant Letmeentertinyou inside the final furlong and found more to see off Essence Of Time by two and three-quarter lengths. Owned by Gary Devlin, Craig Bryson and Kevin Osborne, the winner was stepping up a place after a good effort at Leopardstown last month. "Today, he jumped smarter than Leopardstown. He is learning all the time and is improving. We thought he had improved a lot before coming here after his Leopardstown race," said winning trainer Natalia Lupini. "The further he was going today, the better. Wayne said he will benefit as well for the step up in trip to a mile. "He's very honest, he tries hard and it is nice to have him for the owners - Gary (Devlin) and all have been good supporters of ours. It is nice to get a winner for them. "We think he is going to improve furthermore. A very nice horse to train, very straightforward. He is a good mover and is genuine and strong. "When he progresses as a three-year-old, he will be a nice horse to have. Obviously, we will have to see if there will be any offers, but we would be happy to keep him. "This has been a lucky race for us (three in a row) and it is nice to have it. It is nice to have a winner at Down Royal." Additional reporting by Michael Graham
