BYE BYE BUY
O’brien filly goes in for the Kill in the Group Three feature
AIDAN O’BRIEN is the man to follow through the first half of today’s card at Leopardstown where he has every chance of a treble. The Ballydoyle trainer,
right, is expected to land the Group 3 Killavallan Stakes, where the tough and progressive Bye Bye Baby can lead home his challenge.
This filly has been progressing well during a busy autumn campaign and could well do better still.
Last time out, Bye Bye Baby won a Listed race on a soft ground at Navan, so any easing in the ground will be no problem for her.
Prior to that she landed a tasty maiden at Newmarket, where the second Altyn Orda has boosted the form by winning a Group Three. She should also cope with the drop back to seven furlongs, while she is improving with every run.
She is preferred to Landshark, whose latest Group 3 second at the Curragh, in the Round Tower Stakes, reads well with the winner, US Navy Flag, having gone on to win a pair of Group 1s.
In the opener, the O’brientrained Forever Together gets the vote following a bright debut run at Naas.
She was never able to land a telling blow that day, but she did finish out her race nicely and she gave the impression she would come on a lot for that run.
Her rivals include an interesting newcomer in Alghabrah, who is a half-sister to last season’s Irish 2000 Guineas scorer Awtaad.
The middle leg of the O’brien treble can come from James Cook, whose career began with a second to Mcmunigal in a Naas maiden last month.
Found’s younger brother was putting in his best work in the closing stages of that race and is sure to relish the extra furlong of today’s contest.
In the Listed Trigo Stakes, it is hard to look past the claims of the soft ground loving Cannonball.
He was only narrowly denied in a Limerick Listed race two weeks ago and prior to that he ran very well in a Group 3 at this track which was won by Eziyra.
The Ger Lyons inmate is coming back in distance, but that isn’t a major concern.
In the nursery, Joseph O’brien fields three of the runners with his Baroness the selection. She has shown ability on each of her three runs so far and her last effort at Dundalk was quite encouraging. She may prefer better ground, but she looks open to more progress than stablemate Sebastiano Ricci. The penultimate event on the card might go to Turbine, who warmed up for this with a good run over hurdles last week. His Flat form this year also includes a fine fourth to Riven Light in a premier handicap at Galway. Elsewhere, the mile and a half handicap can go to the four-timer chasing The Last Indian. She has shot up 41lb in the weights this season, but there is a strong chance that she will improve further over this trip.