Soldier Of Fortune Mare Proves A Class Apart On Debut

Soldier Of Fortune’s first Irish four-year-olds should prove a talented bunch if Derrylinda (4f Soldier Of Fortune - Talkin Madam, by Talkin Man) is anything to go by, after the Gavin Cromwell-trained newcomer ran out an impressive winner at Tipperary on Wednesday.

One of 14 to line up for the Ormond Mares Point-to-Point Flat Race, the bay was sent off favourite under Joey Dunne, who positioned her in midfield. Making headway to chase the leaders from three furlongs out, she was nudged along to lead approaching the final furlong and extended her advantage to 11 lengths on the line.

“She is a very nice mare,” Dunne commented after the race. “She works very well and will be a nice mare going forward. She is only four but has done a lot of jumping at home and will be very nice next year.”

Owned by M, S and Patrick Dunphy, Derrylinga was bred by Maurice O’Brien and is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Run Wild Fred.

Responsible for the likes of Mega Fortune and Slowmotion, Soldier Fortune proved extremely popular upon transferring to the Beeches Stud in 2016. The resulting progeny sold for up to €100,000 at the store sales, while his 2020 foals sold for up to €72,000.