Noel Meade keeps within budget through Weld Park winner Elysium

Noel Meade demonstrated he has an eye for a bargain as he turned his €15,000 yearling purchase Elysium into a Group 3 winner in the Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh.

The trainer explained that he is one of the three-strong London Racing Partnership, owners of the daughter of Belardo plucked from breeder Tullpark Limited via Stanley Lodge at last year’s Goffs Autumn Sale.

Out of Hawk Wing mare Sonning Rose, who was runner-up in the Chesham Stakes for Mick Channon, Elysium was rated only 85 from four previous starts including victory in a Navan maiden.

Meade felt that she was still a work in progress and the 12-1 shot overcame a tardy start to come a length and a half clear under Billy Lee.

"There’s three of us - Phil Munnelly, Pat Sexton and myself," Meade told Racing TV.

"The idea was I said 'if you stay in we’ll buy a few cheap ones with a view to selling them' and that was basically it. We bought four, two have been left off. I think they’re OK - I think one of them might be no good and two of those will win."

If following that strategy, connections may now be persuaded to part with Elysium but there could be the chance of another payday.

"She certainly seems to have held her form very well, we’ll have to see where we are now," Meade said. "She’s in the sales race (Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final), that’s where we were thinking of going after this but now, I don’t know."

The win was continuing a good few days for Kildangan resident Belardo. She becomes the second Group scorer of his freshman campaign with his first, Isabella Giles, doubling her Pattern tally in last Friday’s Rockfel Stakes.

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