Bolshoi Ballet, trained at Ballydoyle Stables in County Tipperary, Ireland, is now second favourite for the Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs, England, in June, following an impressive win in the Group 3 P.W. McGrath Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Bolshoi Ballet (2/1f), a three-year-old son of Coolmore’s champion sire Galileo, bred by Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock, showed a good turn of foot in the home stretch to record a two and a quarter lengths victory under jockey Ryan Moore in the 1 mile 2 furlong race.
Fifth on his only Group 1 appearance as a juvenile when failing to adapt to the heavy ground in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud in France last October, Bolshoi Ballet was better suited to the good ground today, beating Flying Visit (33/1), with Taipan (5/1) back in third.
Prior to that Bolshoi Ballet had run third on debut, again on heavy ground, in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Newmarket, England. He lost his maiden tag just 13 days later when successful in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C&G) Maiden over a mile at Leopardstown.
Bolshoi Ballet is a full-brother to the former Ballydoyle-trained stayer Southern France, a winner of the Group 2 Sandown Classic and the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial. Southern France, also bred by Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock, was third in both the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, England, and the Irish St Leger at The Curragh, Ireland, and is now trained in Australia by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Sunday’s Ballysax Stakes victory by Bolshoi Ballet was a fourth consecutive win in the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien, a race that has produced three Epsom Derby winners this millennium, namely Bolshoi Ballet’s sire Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002) and Harzand (2016).
The winning handler, speaking after his 11th career success in the P.W. McGrath Ballysax Stakes, said of his most recent winner:
“You’d be delighted with him as he only ran on soft ground and will have learned a lot today. He’ll probably come back here for the Derrinstown (Stud Derby Trial) if all goes well. He’s straightforward and, while you’re never sure, he should get 1m4f. He goes to the line well.”
Aidan O’Brien previously won the Ballysax Stakes with Cupid (1999), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Balestrini (2003), Yeats (2004), Fame And Glory (2009), Battle Of Marengo (2013), Nelson (2018), Broome (2019) and Nobel Prize (2020).
Bookmakers have cut Bolshoi Ballet’s price from 20/1 to generally second favourite at 8/1, behind the stable’s current main hope, High Definition (7/2f) for the Epsom Derby on 4 June. The strong Ballydoyle team also has the third favourite in the betting market with Wembley at 12/1, with another Coolmore partners-owned colt, and son of American Pharoah, Van Gogh, joint fourth favourite with MacSwiney and Uncle Bryn at 20/1.
Another interesting winner on today’s Leopardstown card was Sir Lamorak (9/4f) in the Leopardstown Handicap as he provided handler Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore with a double at the South County Dublin racetrack.
The 85- rated son of Camelot was a maiden winner on his third attempt at Dundalk on 26 March. Astutely entered in this afternoon’s race by Ballydoyle Stables, the three year old quickened up in fine fashion to make a successful handicap debut over 1 mile and 2 furlongs.
Sir Lamorak, called after one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend, should benefit from today’s run, as the completed a three and three-quarter lengths victory over Bear Story. The successful trainer Aidan O’Brien hinted that the colt is likely to move up in grade next time out and contest one of the Derby trials.
Next week will see a busy week for Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners with Classics trials on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Newmarket Racecourse, England.
Photos: Courtesy of Breandán Ó hUallacháin
