Saxon Heads Derby Dozen

[Wandering Eyes]

‘TDN Rising Star’ Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will be joined by three talented stablemates as he bids to add to his Classic tally in Saturday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh. This will be no cakewalk for the odds-on favourite, with this being the first time since 2010 that the race has attracted a double-figure field, but he has an ideal draw in two and has been giving out all the right signals at Ballydoyle since his fall to earth when fourth in the G1 Epsom Derby. This is also the fastest ground he has encountered in his brief career and on all known evidence from his pedigree he is destined to shine on it.

Fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is one making a quick return from Royal Ascot duty, having finished worst of his stable’s trio that took part in the G2 King Edward VII S. won by one of this renewal’s supplementary entries Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Fourth behind that rival and the runner-up Rostropovich (GB) (Frankel {GB}), he has the yard’s supersub jockey Seamie Heffernan in the saddle and bids to provide that rider with a third edition and back-to-back ones after the exploits of Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 12 months ago. ‘TDN Rising Star’ The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) could be the one to make the running under Wayne Lordan, while the British raiders Knight To Behold (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Dee Ex Bee (GB) (Farhh {GB}) are other pace factors, with the latter needing a strong end-to-end gallop and so primed to make up for any hesitancy from the Ballydoyle crew under the front-running wizard Silvestre De Sousa.

Temperatures are set to soar in Kildare, as they are everywhere, at the weekend and Dermot Weld admits to some concern regarding Calumet Farm’s unbeaten Bandua (The Factor), whose two outings have come on testing ground. “I’m well aware that he has won on soft ground so far and I identified early in the year that he bends his knee and will be better with a bit more ease in the ground,” he said. “This is pretty ambitious, but he’s a lovely colt who is very sound and progressive and we’re happy with the way he’s working. The owner is keen to take his chance and it’s the Derby, so as long as he gives a good account of himself we’ll be happy.”

One for whom fast ground is no worry is Yuesheng Zhang’s Platinum Warrior (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won in similar conditions when beating Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) convincingly in the G3 Gallinule S. over 10 furlongs here on May 27. Trainer Mick Halford commented, “It is only the second time we’ve had a runner in the Irish Derby and his preparation has gone very well. He’s a very straightforward horse and we are hoping that the extra two furlongs will make a difference to him. He has a beautiful pedigree and loves fast ground.”

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