RACING LEOPARDSTOWN REPORT:THE COOLMORE team have been guilty in the past of throwing some grandiose names onto some distinctly ordinary horses but Fame And Glory did more than enough at Leopardstown yesterday to suggest he could be the most appropriately monikered Epsom Derby winner for some time.
Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten son of Montjeu was a hugely impressive five-length winner of the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, treating his market rival Mourayan with disdain, and promoting himself to Epsom favouritism in some ante-post lists.
Other layers have Fame And Glory as an 11 to 4 joint favourite with Mourayan’s 2,000 Guineas winning stable companion Sea The Stars and it is hard to envisage anything happening at York this week to threaten such dominance by the Irish-trained colts.
Certainly there was plenty to ponder yesterday for Sea The Stars’ trainer John Oxx who declared immediately afterwards: “The winner was impressive. We will certainly need to stay the trip if we are going to beat that fellah!”
Stamina won’t be a concern for Fame And Glory at Epsom, nor on yesterday’s evidence will much else although there was a brief tail-flash when Seamus Heffernan used his whip once inside the final furlong.
The jockey was hugely impressed by his fourth Derrinstown winner and considering the previous trio comprised the star names of Galileo, High Chaparral and Dylan Thomas, his enthusiasm carries some extra significance.
“I’ve always thought he’s a bit special,” revealed Heffernan. “He has done everything right so far. I followed the horse I thought I had to beat and he has done it well. It’s onwards and upwards hopefully.”
A time almost two seconds faster than last year’s winner Casual Conquest only emphasised the quality of Fame And Glory’s performance and the Coolmore supremo John Magnier commented: “You would have to be happy. Keeping him healthy now will be the main thing.”
With less than four weeks to Epsom, similar thoughts are pre-occupying Oxx who was disappointed with Mourayan and immediately ruled him out of Epsom.
“He was sluggish and struggled a bit to even pick up the pacemaker. There was no zip in him and the ground may have been a little quick for him,” the Curragh trainer said. “He might go for the Irish Derby and an ease in the ground might help. I expected better.”
The Aga Khan was present to watch Mourayan fail his Epsom-test but didn’t have to wait long for a better result as Baliyana made all the running under Michael Kinane to land the Irish 1,000 Guineas Trial. “She won her maiden here and obviously likes Leopardstown but the main thing was the ground,” Oxx said. “I took her out of the Guineas last year because she didn’t look like making it but if fast ground came up we could consider putting her back in.”
Yankee Doodle started favourite from a Ballydoyle quartet in the mile-and-a-quarter maiden but it was Colm O’Donoghue’s mount Dixie Music who overhauled his stable-companion in the straight to score snugly.
Co Tipperary trainer Thomond O’Mara had a memorable afternoon with Castle Bar Sling completing a double initiated by Eagle’s Pass in the mile-and-a-half handicap.
O’Mara nominated the Northumberland Plate as a long-term target for the versatile Eagles Pass and said: “I was a little afraid of the ground but he is a good, honest and straightforward horse who had come on for his last run.”
Another trainer on the double was Ger Lyons who teamed up with jockey Keegan Latham to land the Group Three Amethyst Stakes with Summit Surge. The five-year-old kicked for home early in the straight off a sedate pace and had a length and a half in hand of the runner-up, Three Rocks, at the line.
“The ground is so important to him and he is a genuine Group Three horse on fast ground,” Lyons said before nominating the Ballycorus Stakes as a possible next stop for Summit Surge.
The regally-bred but cheaply-bought Ballydoyle runner Emperor Claudius started favourite for the two-year-old auction maiden but had to settle for a distant third to the Lyons-Latham representative Love Lockdown.
