We three kings of Vegas are . . . all running on Boxing Day - remarkable treble for successful mare

What do these three Boxing Day runners, One Eye On Vegas, Dino Bellagio and Old Blue Eyes, have in common?

Aside from Frank Sinatra.

The answer is, remarkably, the same dam.  

A statistical record of such things probably doesn’t exist, but it’s a safe bet that having three of your foals running the same afternoon has got to be rare in the extreme.

Savingforvegas is the mare in question. By Beneficial and bred by David Byrne out of the Presenting mare Peggy Cullen, she won her fourth point-to-point start under Derek O’Connor at Tralee in 2015, shortly before a sale to Nick Brown – for whom we are indebted to flagging the unusual treble – and JD Moore for £32,000 at Cheltenham.

It was the second time at public auction for Savingforvegas, who had been picked up for €19,000 by Monbeg Stables from Williamstown Stables at the Goffs Land Rover Sale the summer before.

She was immediately off the mark for the Stuart Edmunds yard in a bumper at Wetherby that November. Her hurdles debut resulted in a second-placed finish at Fakenham, before the curtain came down in the right way with victory at Warwick in January 2016.

Savingforvegas (6) runs towards the final flight in the mares' novice hurdle at Warwick before going on to win what was her final startCredit: Edward Whitaker

Savingforvegas was sent to Blue Bresil shortly after by owner Ben Turner, and One Eye On Vegas was the result. 

He has done very well for Turner and Edmunds, especially this year, winning three of his seven outings over hurdles, twice at Leicester including earlier this month, and once at Hereford.

One Eye On Vegas is in deeper waters at Aintree on Boxing Day, as indicated by the fact he carries bottom weight in the 2m4f handicap hurdle (1.40), but he will hopefully at least be competitive under Ciaran Gethings.

Later on the same card in the bumper (3.25) comes his full-brother Old Blue Eyes, who was bred by Brown’s Olney Bloodstock and runs for the Pavenham Partnership.

The Donald McCain-trained four-year-old made a winning start at Sedgefield last month under Brian Hughes, who is again on board, 

Old Blue Eyes and Brian Hughes win at SedgefieldCredit: John Grossick

Old Blue Eyes will have his backers, however this a right tasty little race, with four of his five rivals also winners, and the only non-winner, The Blue Room, certainly not out of it having finished runner-up in his sole point-to-point and switched to Olly Murphy subsequently.

Sandwiched between the Aintree runners, time-wise, is Savingforvegas’s five-year-old Dino Bellagio, a stablemate of Old Blue Eyes who contests the novice handicap hurdle (2.57) at Market Rasen under Theo Gillard.

He is by Doyen and is a Brown homebred. He won two of his four bumpers and, while still seeking a first victory over hurdles after five runs, must have a decent chance in Lincolnshire, having finished a fair fourth over half a mile shorter at the track this month.

It would be not much shy of a Christmas miracle if all three siblings were Boxing Day winners, but here’s at least hoping they all return safe and sound for Mum and their connections in what amounts to a circumstance that really is few and far between.

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