Delacroix and Wayne Lordan at Leopardstown. (Photo by Breandán Ó hUallacháin)
At Leopardstown
By Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Delacroix (1/3 favourite) won the Group 2 Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial at Leopardstown, Ireland, on Sunday, giving his handler Aidan O’Brien another success in the race.
A son of Godolphin’s Dubawi out of Tepin, the American Champion Female Turf Horse of 2015 and 2016, Delacroix started Sunday’s race as a hot favourite with bookmakers.
Ridden by Wayne Lordan, as Ballydoyle’s main jockey Ryan Moore was riding at ParisLongchamp in France, Delacroix ran out an impressive two and theee-quarter lengths winner.
The winning distance, however, did not tell the full story, as the Coolmore partners-owned three-year-old displayed an excellent burst of speed as he lengthened away from his rivals when asked from the saddle by Lordan.
With two wins and three runner-up spots on his juvenile record last season, the O’Brien-handled bay colt won the Group 3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes over course and distance on his seasonal reappearance on 30 March.
He defeated his stable companion Lambourn and Tiberius Thunder by two and a quarter-lengths and a length and a quarter, respectively.
That form worked out well earlier this week when the runner-up, Lambourn, won the Group 3 Boodles Chester Vase Stakes at Chester, England.
On Sunday afternoon, Delacroix faced just five rivals, three of them, like him, owned by Coolmore partnerships. All four were bred in Ireland, two by Dubawi, namely Delacroix and Acapulco Bay, and two by Wootton Bassett, Rock Of Cashel and Tennessee Stud.
Aidan O’Brien trained both Delacroix and Rock Of Cashel, while his son Joseph prepared both Acapulco Bay and Tennessee Stud. The only ‘non-O’Brien’ managed horse was the Juddmonte British-bred Purview, trained in Ireland by former Belmont Stakes-winning trainer Dermot Weld.
Rock Of Cashel and jockey Gavin Ryan set the early pace on exiting the stalls, with his stable companion, Delacroix, in his slipstream.
Tennessee Stud and Dylan Browne McMonagle followed close by in third, with Chris Hayes aboard the one-raced unbeaten Purview next in fourth position. Billy Lee and Acapulco Bay brought up the end of the field in the opening few furlongs.
Rock Of Cashel maintained the modest pace until the field entered the home straight, at the three-furlong marker. Delacroix then made his move on the outside and led for the first time two and a half furlongs from the line.
With Rock Of Cashel battling on the rail, and Delacroix on his outside, Purview challenged further out. Before the one-eight pole, Wayne Lordan asked the race favourite Delacroix for his effort, and within a number of strides he put daylight between himself and the remainer of his challengers. He stretched clear of the field, and try as he did, Purview could never even get within a length of Delacroix at any stage.
The eventual winning distance was two and three-quarter lengths, with Purview another four lengths clear of Tennessee Stud in third.
With winning trainer Aidan O’Brien attending the French 2000 and 1000 Guineas at ParisLongchamp, Ballydoyle representative Chris Armstrong gave the following reaction:
“Gavin went along at an even tempo and Wayne got a lovely lead into it. When he got after him a furlong and a half out the most impressive part was, he really lengthened and quickened to the line.
“It’s on to Epsom now (for the Epsom Derby). His homework has been very good since here the last day. He’s come forward lovely and all being well he’ll come forward again.”
The price for Delacroix has shorted to 4/1 with certain bookmakers, while his stable mate, The Lion in Winter, remains favourite for the 7 June race – he is generally available at 11/4.
