A CAZ FOR OPTIMISM

Stone Age new Derby favourite

STONE AGE jumped to the top of the Cazoo Derby market thanks to an impressive victory in yesterday’s Derby Trial Stakes in Leopardstown.

Just half an hour after trainer Aidan O’brien confirmed Qipco 2,000 Guineas third and Derby favourite Luxembourg would miss the Epsom classic due a ‘muscle injury behind’, 10/11 favourite Stone Age stepped-up to make all in a race which his trainer has now won15 times.

Stone Age, second leg of a Group 3 trial double for O’brien and red-hot stable-jockey Ryan

Moore, set a strong pace, quickened off the home turn and, driven out, galloped on resolutely to the line beating longshot Glory

Daze by five and a half lengths.

O’brien summed up the son of Galileo: “He steps quickly out of the gates, is a high-cruiser and would be happy to take a lead. He has a touch of class and sees it out well.”

Ballydoyle houses a number of realistic Derby contenders, spearheaded by Stone Age, now 3/1 favourite generally for the race, and backed-up by Changingoftheguard, Star Of India and United Nations, all trial winners in England this week.

O’brien nominated the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas as the immediate target for History, who made a successful seasonal debut in the earlier, Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes, beating Agartha by three-quarters of a length.

“We were hoping to find out whether to go for the Irish Guineas or the Oaks and, the way she quickened, she’ll definitely go the Curragh and we can think about Epsom after that,” said O’brien.

Elsewhere, Noel Meade-trained The Model Kingdom, unbeaten in three bumper starts, is napped to land today’s Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden at Roscommon’s first meeting of 2022.

The five-year-old mare has triumphed in Galway, Navan and, most recently, Punchestown and possesses all the attributes to make her mark in this sphere.

Off the mark at Ballybrit in October, she then landed a listed event in Navan and, after a winter break, which included an injury, she returned in style to land a Grade 3 mares event at the Punchestown Festival, coming from off the pace in a slowly-run affair to beat Beyond Ambitious and Battling Bessie.

Trainer Meade hinted after the Punchestown race that she should improve from the run. He has booked the services of champion-jockey Colin Keane. And the Model Kingdom is a confident selection to beat Joseph O’brien’s 73-rated Startedwithakiss.

Jessica Harrington (inset) might take the opening two-year-old maiden with the badly-drawn Panic Alarm.