Porto Vecchio Dazzles on Debut The Dermot Weld-trained Porto Vecchio (9/1) made a smart impression with victory in the Juddmonte Lead Artist Maiden over seven furlongs in the opening race at the Curragh. It was the son of Frankel's first start and the full brother to Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs. Although keen throughout the contest, he travelled menacingly into contention before rider Chris Hayes, who has enjoyed a nice few days in the saddle, powered to the front and ran out a half-length winner from the Aidan O'Brien-trained Victory Speech, who got the hang of things late. Trainer Dermot Weld said: "He's a very progressive colt and I thought he'd run a very nice race. He hasn't been on grass, which is surprising for one of mine, this year yet. This was his first time, so I thought he just might find it all a little bit strange; a little bit immature. He did it all very professionally. "He's a good colt. I think he's definitely stakes calibre. He's an own brother to Homeless Songs, who won the 1000 Guineas for me. I'd hope that we could build him into a horse that could run in the National Stakes in the Group 1. That'd be the plan for him. "My first two-year-old colt to run this year. I said a couple of weeks ago when Purview won the Group 3 that we had some nice two-year-olds to produce in the coming weeks and he was the first of them." (Quotes from John O'Riordan)
