Sport

Ballydoyle to live up to her name

THEY couldn’t name a bad one Ballydoyle and the regally-bred Galileo filly can show her star quality in the Group Two Debutante Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

She got a nice introduction on her debut here in May and was then thrown in at the deep end on her subsequent start at Royal Ascot, which was a telling sign of how highly regarded she is.

It was an agonising defeat then as she just failed to peg back French raider Suits You in the Chesham and she looked a bit of an unlucky loser. The subsequent maiden win at Newmarket was as straight-forward as expected and sets her up very nicely indeed for a step back up in grade.

The fact that she has three runs under her belt is a big plus and she looks more than capable of progressing to the next level. It’s significant that Joseph O’Brien takes the mount over a couple of other smart stablemates.

Bookings would suggest Alice Springs is second-choice. She ran into a very good filly in Tanaza in the Silver Flash but it was still a good run in defeat.

The other Aidan O’Brien runner Minding had also finished second to the same rival on her debut in a maiden and had an easy task to open her account subsequently. They both look smart fillies in their own right.

A potential danger to Ballydoyle is the David Wachman-trained Most Beautiful, who has looked a classy sort on her last two outings. The daughter of Canford Cliffs was a late withdrawal from the Group One Phoenix Stakes recently and has to be a big contender now.

She looks to have the beating of Only Mine and Miss Elizabeth on the evidence of her win here in June but the one worry would be the step up in trip as she has shown a lot of pace.

Turret Rocks has a bit to find with Alice Springs, having been third in the Silver Flash and it looks telling that she’s first choice of Jim Bolger’s pair over Curragh maiden winner Leafy Shade.

There are also two Group Three contests on a quality card and Gordon Lord Byron is the star name in the Renaissance Stakes. He ran a cracker behind champion sprinter elect Muhaarar in France last time and gain another course and distance win.

Independence Day is fancied to gain revenge on Promised Money in the Curragh Stakes having been turned over at Cork last time. She just took her time to pick up then and the stiffer track here should suit.

It’s interesting that on the day Ballydoyle contests the feature event, the yard also introduce a filly called Coolmore in the opener. Both her siblings Gleneagles and Marvellous are Guineas winners so there will surely be high hopes for her.