Skydance gets her maiden win to book return to bigger things

Skydance benefited from a drop in grade and step up in trip as Billy Lee timed his run to perfection to land the Look De Vega At Ballylinch Stud Fillies Maiden at Leopardstown.

Joseph O’Brien’s Thundering On looked to hold all the cards along the rail as she came out of the pack to charge for home inside in the final furlong.

But Lee had other ideas on the Willie McCreery-trained 7-2 shot – who was beaten less than four lengths last time out in the Moyglare Stud Stakes – and launched her challenge down the centre of the course, getting up a short head.

McCreery said: “She’s a highly-rated filly so I’m delighted to get the win.

“I was a little bit worried about the ground, because to me she needs good ground. She’s a very easy moving filly.

“She hit the line very well so you wouldn’t be worried about the mile now. I was a little bit worried about it but not after that.

“We’ll think high with her and then see where we aim then.”

Launch Time broke his maiden at the ninth time of asking in the Sunday 10th May Leopardstown Family Day Handicap for trainer Cian Hughes, who said of his 8-1 scorer: “I’m very happy with him. He was placed last year and I thought the cheekpieces might work.

“He didn’t like Dundalk so we just kept him for the turf. Hopefully he’ll win another one, I’m delighted to get that.

“We had three winners in Dundalk and that’s our first on the grass. We only have half a dozen to run and hopefully we can get more.”