Touchstone Farm sire Vital Equine was represented by his fourth first-crop winner in Europe when Last Bid scored at Ripon on Thursday.

Last Bid (2f Vital Equine – Manderina by Mind Games) had been placed twice at Beverley after slow getaways at her only other starts in May.  She is trained by Tim Easterby and raced on the pace third time out before pulling clear for a convincing victory over 1000m.

Last Bid is from a half-sister to the dam of G3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Golden Nun (Bishop of Cashel).

Vital Equine opened his account with Ortea at Nottingham in April and followed up with Ruby’s Day (Chantilly) and Vital Wave (Saint-Cloud).

Both French winners are prepared by Eoghan O’Neill and he knows the breed well having trained Vital Equine to a G2 victory in the 2007 Champagne Stakes at York.  The Irish bred son of Danetime was also runner-up to Cockney Rebel in the G1 English 2000 Guineas.

Vital Equine initially shuttled from Bearstone Stud in 2008 and was scheduled to return to the Shropshire property after that first southern shuttle.  Instead, he has remained in Western Australia covering 240 mares in three seasons.

His first Sunspeed bred yearlings sold to $52,000 at the Perth Magic Millions earlier this year.  

Vital Equine (Danetime) stands alongside Danasinga (Danehill) and Flying Pegasus (Fusaichi Pegasus) at Touchstone Farm.

Touchstone Farm owner Glenn Martin has also signed French G2 winner Planet Five to stand at the North Dandalup stud this year.  He is a Storm Cat sire from French G1 winner Six Perfections who hails from the family of wonder mare Miesque.