Maire Rua (GB)

Maire Rua made an impressive winning debut at Leopardstown in July of her two-year-old season. Her performance that day earned her a TDN 'Rising Star' tag after posting a two and a half-length winning margin. She met trouble in running in her next race at Cork in mid-August but still managed a third-place finish.

Her stakes breakthrough came in mid-September in the Listed Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown's Irish Champions Festival. After racing midfield she started to gain ground going into the home straight. She continued to accelerate, picking off her rivals before overhauling race leader Timeless Tale just before the line.

Maire Rua is the second stakes winner out of Dark Angel mare Red Impression. Her half-sister Red Letter won the Group 3 Snow Fairy Stakes and Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes as a three-year-old and was also Group 1-placed.