THE MASTER OF BALLYDOYLE OUT TO END DROUGHT

AIDAN O’BRIEN sends three colts into battle in a bid to extend his excellent record in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown today.

The master of Ballydoyle has saddled 10 winners of this prestigious event since breaking his duck with Risk Material in 1998. He would go on to train nine of next 15 winners, with subsequent Epsom heroes Galileo (2001) and High Chaparral (2002) — as well as four-time Gold Cup victor Yeats (2004) — among those on the roll of honour.

It is is four years since O’Brien last struck gold with Battle Of Marengo, but he looks to hold all the aces this season.

All three of his representatives contested the Ballysax Stakes over the course and distance last month, with Douglas Macarthur faring best by finishing second to Joseph O’Brien’s Rekindling.

The impeccably-bred Yucatan was only half a length away in third, with stablemate Capri a few lengths further back in fourth.

Yucatan, a son of Galileo out of the great racemare Six Perfections, is expected to improve on that comeback effort.

Alan Cooper, racing manager for part-owners Flaxman Stables, said: ‘He has a blue blood pedigree and has obviously got ability, so we’ll see how he goes.’

Jim Bolger runs the Godolphinowned Dubai Sand, who was fifth in the Ballysax.

Making up the field are the Ger Lyons-trained Insayshable and Willie McCreery’s Naturalist, who were first and second respectively in a course and distance maiden at the start of April.

‘We always felt he was quite nice, but he’s a big horse, so we just minded him last year and we didn’t want to empty him on soft ground at the end of the year,’ McCreery said of Naturalist. ‘We’ve got to improve to turn the form around with the horse that beat us before we even think about beating Aidan’s horses.’

Meanwhile, trainer Willie McCreery is hopeful Perle De La Mer can make her presence felt in the Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial. The daughter of Born To Sea made a big impression on her racecourse debut at Galway in September, but was unable to raise her game in a Group Three at the Curragh three weeks later.

McCreery admits to being unsure about how his filly will handle the forecast quick ground this weekend, but believes she possesses enough talent to be in mix.

‘Whether she’ll go on the quicker ground would be the question, but she’s in good form and she’s ready to go,’ he said.