WARRIOR LEADS HOME TEAM
SAXON Warrior is a best priced 4/7 favourite to bounce back from his Investec Derby defeat in Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.
The Qipco 2,000 Guineas winner, fourth at Epsom, will spearhead Ballydoyle’s challenge on Saturday, when Aidan O’brien will bid for a remarkable 13th Irish derby victory.
And O’brien, responsible for six of the 14 acceptors at yesterday’s forfeit stage, has confirmed that The Pentagon and Delano Roosevelt will also be in the line-up.
As expected, there were three supplementary entries made for Ireland’s premier classic, with Epsom runner-up Dee Ex Bee (trained Mark Johnston), Royal Ascot winner Old Persian (Charlie Appleby) and Michael Halford’s Platinum Warrior all added to the mix.
Trainer Harry Dunlop indicated yesterday that he hopes to have Frankie Dettori on board Knight To Behold, winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial before disappointing at Epsom while Aidan O’brien confirmed that son, Donnacha, will partner Latrobe, for Joseph, rather than be part of the Ballydoyle plans for the race.
Johnston also hopes to run Marie’s Diamond in the Group 2 Gain Railway Stakes, in which Sergei Prokofiev and Van Beethoven, both in the frame at Royal Ascot, are
Ballydoyle runners.
build-up to the weekend action continues with a flat card in Naas tonight, featuring the listed Irish EBF Naas Oaks Trial over a mile and a quarter.
And I expect Jim Bolger’s progressive filly Scriobh Nua, likely to improve for the step-up in trip, to take plenty of beating.
This daughter of New Approach is highly-regarded and shaped with plenty of promise on her debut at this venue (third to Broadway) before being pitched in at the deep end in the Tattersalls irish 1,000 Guineas.
Beaten less than nine lengths by Alpha Centauri (when finishing tenth), she then bolted-up over seven-furlongs at Leopardstown. the likely
I believe that we haven’t seen the best of this filly yet and, over this trip, she should run a very big race in a competitive race.
Willie Mccreery’s Mary Tudor won the listed Salsabil at Navan before finishing seventh in a Guineas trial at Leopardstown and must bounce back, giving weight to her rivals, while Espere, unbeaten in two starts for Ger Lyons, will have plenty of supporters. Curragh maiden winner Tissiak is another filly on the up.
And the Lyons-trained Rita Levin, narrowly denied by subsequent Queen Mary runnerup Gossamer Wings, on her debut in Navan is napped to land the opening two-year-old fillies maiden.