Job done for Ballydoyle in the Oaks yesterday. Snowfall with Frankie Dettori on top proved way too good for them.
Today, “the lads” will try to double up in the Derby with the hot favourite Bolshoi Ballet. The good news for Ryan Moore is he’s on the right one. Aidan O’Brien surprisingly ruled out all the other Ballydoyle inmates relying on the one bullet.
How good he is will become known today.
Five runs under his belt, three last year, all in October, he travelled to Newmarket for his debut running third. Two weeks later he was much sharper at Leopardstown winning a Maiden by 4L from O’Reilly whose since won as has Grid, Sir Lamorak and Earlswood who were all in behind. Ten days later he was thrown into G1 company in France in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, he got stuck in the mud on heavy ground going down 2¼L to Mark Johnston’s, Gear Up.
It’s the runs this year that elevated him to Derby favourite, both at Leopardstown, first the Ballysax in April where he was an easy winner by 2¼L, and in May in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, he extended his advantage to 6L over the field. In both runs, he displayed an impressive turn of foot to kill off the opposition.
He had Mac Swiney 6¾L adrift in the Derrinstown who post-race coughed with Joseph O’Brien’s Southern Lights a further 1¼L behind, Joseph liked him after his Maiden win at Leopardstown previously and marked him out as his Derby horse.
Mac Swiney was always Jim Bolger’s Derby horse.
He had an active campaign as a juvenile winning his Maiden at the Curragh from Wembley, then adding a G2 Futurity Stakes and a G1 Vertem Futurity to his name. After the Derrinstown he took the Irish 2000 Guineas beating stable companion and English 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare a short head.
It put the Derrinstown run to bed.
Gear Up, a Teofilo colt bred by Jim Bolger had the measure of Bolshoi Ballet in France. It was his third win in four starts as a juvenile.
It was heavy in Paris but those other two wins both at York were on good ground.
Connections would have been hopeful when he went back to York for The Dante this year but he was well beaten by Charlie Appleby’s Hurricane Lane who comes here unbeaten in three starts. As well as the Dante, he’d won at Newbury in April having won his sole start last year at Newmarket.
Charlie also runs One Ruler, the only one to come here from the Guineas where he ran sixth, last year he was second to Mac Swiney in the Vertem Futurity. The other Godolphin runner is Adayar, he ran second to Roger Varian’s Third Realm in the Lingfield Derby Trial.
Mohaafeth, for Willie Haggas, lost on both his starts last year but has run up a hat trick this year and was very impressive when taking the Newmarket Stakes last time by 5L on good to firm.
John Leeper is by Frankel out of Snow Fairy, named after the trainer’s father Ed Dunlop, John won two Derby’s, Erhaab in 1994 and Shirley Heights in 1978. It would be an emotional result, he comes here on the back of a win in the Fairway Stakes at Newmarket, Frankie will look to complete the Oaks/Derby double.
Youth Spirit represents the same connections of the second last year, Khalifa Sat, Andrew Balding will hope he can go one better having taken the Chester Vase last time out.
Richard Hannon hopes to spring a surprise with Mojo Star, twice raced, twice second, it will be some feat to break his maiden here.
Bolshoi Ballet is a worthy favourite, his ability to quicken sets him apart however in the Derrinstown we didn’t get to see the real Mac Swiney. We did at the Curragh and he proved a very hard horse to pass. This could turn into a great battle up the straight with this pair fighting it out.
If so Mac Swiney can prevail.
Recommendation
Mac Swiney 8/1 win