STONE HOPES ROCK SOLID
O’brien star ready for a step up in class
STONE AGE can further strengthen Aidan O’brien’s classic hand in the Group 3 Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown.
The Ballydoyle trainer dominated the Derby Trial scene this week and this colt looks another lively Epsom contender for O’brien.
After running a series of very solid races in smart company last season, Stone Age returned to action with a nine lengths victory in a Navan maiden in late March.
This will represent a much tougher assignment for the Galileo colt but he should still be equal to the task.
Last season, Stone Age’s form included a head second to Atomic Jones in a Group 2 at this track in September and that rival could give him most to do.
The Ger Lyons inmate was undefeated in both his outings last year when he came out the right side of two blanket finishes.
He remains a colt of major potential and could easily be a top level performer in the making.
However, the benefit of a previous run this season tips the scales in favour of Stone Age. Half an hour earlier, 12 fillies go on trial for the Irish 1000 Guineas in the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes. The pick of this dozen could be Joseph O’brien’s Agartha who showed she had trained on well when finding only Homeless Songs too strong here last month. Agartha has to go an extra furlong today and once again has to give weight to all her rivals as a result of her Group 2 success last season. She still looks a solid option and she is preferred to History who looked a nice filly when winning a Gowran maiden in good style last September. Of the others, Suwayra looked a potentially high class sort when winning a maiden in impressive style here last summer. The third Group 3 on the card, the Amethyst Stakes, might go the way of the Adrian Mcguinness-trained Pretreville. He ran a very nice race over this course and distance last month to chase home the Group 1-placed Pearls Galore. A similar showing here could make him hard to beat and he can deal with the challenge of Real Appeal. That one has yet to run this season but is a classy Leopardstown specialist who was a Group 2 winner over this course and distance in the autumn. Aidan O’brien looks to have several other decent chances with Ark making plenty of appeal in the fillies maiden after a brave front running effort at Naas. The O’brientrained Waterville was beaten at odds on making his debut at the Curagh last month but that experience and a step up in trip makes him the choice in the third.