'It's what everyone hopes for but it rarely happens' - Quevega's legacy shows no signs of abating

Ger O'Brien, one half of the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate who own the legendary Quevega, has spoken of his delight at the six-time Cheltenham Festival-winning mare's growing influence, with another representative on the horizon and having already become a grandmother twice.

Quevega, 19, has had two of her progeny take to the track, with the star being the immensely talented Facile Vega, who is already a four-time Grade 1 winner, while Princess Vega was also a winner and is now at paddocks herself. 

Facile Vega has won seven of his nine races, his latest successful campaign ending in April with an electric winning display in the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, after he had finished runner-up behind Marine Nationale in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Quevega's incredibly promising start to motherhood is naturally a source of huge excitement to connections, and O'Brien wonders if her campaigning as a racehorse is playing its part.

"It's incredible really," he said. "It’s what everyone hopes for but it rarely happens. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why certain mares become successful when they go breeding.

Facile Vega: four-time Grade 1 winner having just finished his novice hurdling campaignCredit: Patrick McCann

"I wonder whether it could it be the fact that Quevega was never over-raced. She didn’t leave everything on the track so she had something left to be a mother as well. 

"I’m sure there’s no science to that. She was lightly raced because she wasn’t fond of heavy ground, so there was no point in running her on deep ground. You couldn’t have a dainty little mare like her slogging around on that type of ground during the winter."

The legacy of the illustrious daughter of Robin Des Champs - winner of 16 of her 24 races, notably the then Grade 2 Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham from 2009-14 and Grade 1 World Series Hurdle at Punchestown between 2010-13 - should continue to flourish.

O'Brien said: "The next progeny down the line is a four-year-old Camelot filly, a three-year-old Australia filly, and then there's a Walk In The Park yearling colt.

"Quevega has also become a grandmother twice as Princess Vega has two fillies by Order Of St George and Santiago. Facile Vega’s full-sister Aurora Vega is ready to start now and should be making her debut soon."

Quevega with her Walk In The Park colt foal at the Irish National Stud last yearCredit: Patrick McCann

Aurora Vega, like Quevega, Facile Vega and Princess Vega trained by Willie Mullins, was given a couple of entries last week but did not end up running. 

O'Brien reports Facile Vega, the gifted son of Walk In The Park, in good spirits on his summer break. 

After a mishap at the Dublin Racing Festival, the six-year-old was back in better form at Cheltenham, while his stunning performance at Punchestown will leave connections and fans licking their lips at the prospect of seeing him progress even further in the 2023-24 campaign.

"Facile Vega is on his summer holidays," said O'Brien. "I don’t know if he was 100 per cent on the day at Cheltenham but there's no sour grapes here as we were beaten by a very high-class horse.

"For some reason or another, he looked and seemed better at Punchestown. He stood on top of one of the hurdles and he reacted as if nothing happened, it never broke his stride pattern, so it was amazing. There was obviously plenty in the tank when it happened as he came straight back on the bridle. He's just incredibly exciting."

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