Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
It is time to get in to Stellar
THE Jim Bolger-trained Stellar Mass is expected to reverse last-time-out form with Yucatan in the featured, Group 3 Grenke Finance Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown this evening.
Third in this race and fourth to Rekindling in the Curragh Cup last summer, Stellar Mass – which also boasts a third to Harzand in the 2016 Irish Derby on his CV– was beaten a length by Yucatan in the Group 3
Final Volvo International Stakes at the Curragh last time.
The winner received a fine, front-running ride from Ryan Moore that day, while Stellar Mass was having his first start of 2018.
Stellar Mass is 3lb better off for the length he was beaten that day and, with Ronan Whelan taking over from the suspended Kevin Manning, the Coolcullen five-year-old might turn the tables in a race which also features last year’s Irish Oaks third Eziyra, a dual Group 3 winner after her classic exploits last year.
Elsewhere on the Leopardstown card, progressive three-year-old Sirjack Thomas looks another potential winner for in-form Johnny
Murtagh in the Grant Thornton Rated Race.
Small Bit Of Love, up 6lb for a recent win at Ballinrobe, might follow-up for Willie Mullins, who should also be on the mark in Sligo, with Stay Humble in the three-mile maiden hurdle his outstanding prospect.
This fellow looks an out-and-out stayer and opened his bumper account at the fourth attempt in Downpatrick. With Ruby Walsh on board, he should do the business.
And Aidan Howard’s mare The Last Indian, a first flight casualty when well-fancied for a mares handicap hurdle in Galway, is napped to make amends in the Glasshouse Hotel Rated Novice Hurdle, in which she has the Joseph O’brien-trained Gold Seal to beat.