Aidan O’Brien Believes Ryan Moore Will Ride Stone Age in the Cazoo Derby (G1) but the master coach doesn’t believe the record-extending ninth win in the Epsom Classic is a foregone conclusion, despite wiping out last week’s trials and a high probability. He will be up against six runners in June. 4.
Change protection got off to a great start to the week for Ballydoyle as the big margin winner of the Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (G3) on Wednesday and 24 hours later Star of India Landing Homeserve Dee Stakes at the same location. United Nation then won the SBK Derby Trial Stakes at Lingfield Saturday, but it was Stone Age’s performance in Sunday’s Leopardstown Derby Trial Stakes (G3) that impressed O’Brien and the bookies most .
Changeoftheguard wins Chester Vase at Chester Racecourse
When asked who he thought Moore would ride in Epsom, O’Brien replied: “I think he would find it difficult if he didn’t ride the horse from yesterday (the stone age)”.
The Stone Age was initially cut by Paddy Power to 3-1 (from 12) for the Derby following his exclusive Leopardstown performance, but that price tag lasted just over an hour when he was shortened further down 5-2 left.
Galileo’s son has now established himself as Ballydoyle’s number one and despite the fact that the 2-year-old was down 0-5, O’Brien was not surprised by Sunday’s win.
“No, he didn’t really surprise me,” O’Brien said of Stone Age’s explosive Leopardstown performance. “We always thought he was a very senior horse.
“If you look back at his runs, on the day he was beaten in the group race at Leopardstown, he was all the way so if you look at what happened to these horses in their races (at two) you can always see better things to come.
Bluegrass is set to take on Desert Crown on May 13 Dante Stakes (G2) in York and will be the sole Ballydoyle representative in that group 2. His participation in Derby will depend on how he gets there, while, if Point Lonsdale As a contender for the Epsom Classic, he’ll head straight there with O’Brien, expecting a big improvement from his QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) taming effort, where he came in tenth. after Coroebus .
O’Brien is looking for a tenth win in the Cazoo Oaks (G1) and a third win on a smooth run and Tuesday skyrocketed to the top of the market by placing third in QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) in Newmarket.
O’Brien is adamant that the extra emphasis on fitness at Epsom will play to her full potential but before that, the Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) in Curragh May 22 could be on the agenda. .
O’Brien said: “Tuesday, she’s not even 3 years old until the first week of June, she’s just a baby. Guineans will suggest she’s crying over a step in the trip. We I’m thinking how Irish Guineans are going to be Oaks her sister (Minding) did. A lot of cakes have done that. They are fit and able to go there. When there are two weeks left in between. two races, you’ll have a chance to do it.”
Tuesday is generally a 7-2 favorite for Oaks, with stable friend Music room as short as 8-1 after she re-emerged winning at Navan.
