The opening day of the British flat season dominates the racing conversation this coming weekend, with the excellent Lincoln Meeting at Doncaster taking centre stage on Saturday afternoon.
Enthralling as the action on Town Moor promises to be, the highest-class entertainment is found over on the Emerald Isle. Those tuning in to the seven-race card from Leopardstown on Sunday will find a trio of Group 3 contests on offer, headlined by one of the most informative three-year-old events of the early season.
Ballysax Stakes Boasts a Mighty Roll of Honour
First run in 1986, the 1m2f Ballysax Stakes invariably attracts a field of runners with Classic aspirations. Whilst some have failed to build on Ballysax success, several have gone on to carve their names into racing history. The following quintet are a fine illustration of the type of performer this €60,000 contest can produce.
- Galileo (2001) – Having effortlessly claimed the 2001 edition, this racing icon went on to land the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes during an electric three-year-old season. Retired at the end of his Classic campaign, he embarked on a second career at stud, and the rest is history. At the time of his death in 2021, Galileo had left an indelible mark on the sport by becoming the greatest sire of the modern era
- High Chaparral (2002) – Having ended 2001 with a win in the Racing Post Trophy, High Chaparral started as the hot favourite for the 2002 Ballysax Stakes and duly delivered in style. By the time of his retirement in 2003, the son of Sadler’s Wells had picked up Group 1 wins in the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, Breeders’ Cup Turf (twice), and Irish Champion Stakes
- Yeats (2004) – Kyprios is doing his best to catch up, but as of 2025, Yeats remains the greatest stayer of the modern era. Hacking up by 10 lengths in the Ballysax Stakes, he missed most of his Classic campaign but returned with a vengeance. Retiring as a seven-time Group 1 winner, those victories included an incredible four in the Ascot Gold Cup
- Fame And Glory (2009) – Following his 2009 Ballysax success, Fame And Glory had the misfortune to run into Sea The Stars in the Epsom Derby. However, he made no mistake when sauntering clear in the Irish version of the race. Four further top-level triumphs followed, including the 2011 Ascot Gold Cup
- Harzand (2016) – Sired by the aforementioned Sea The Stars, this Dermot Weld star posted a strong staying success in the 2016 Ballysax Stakes before carrying the famous Aga Khan silks to victory in the English and Irish Derby
O’Brien Bids to Make it a Dozen
With four of the five runners in our roll of honour hailing from the Aidan O’Brien operation, it will come as no surprise to learn that the master of Ballydoyle is the most successful trainer in the history of the race.
That said, O’Brien has drawn a blank since landing the race for an 11th time with Bolshoi Ballet in 2021 but looks to have strong claims of making it a round dozen in 2025. With the final declarations made, O’Brien is responsible for three of the seven-runner field.
Lambourn and Puppet Master are typically regally bred Coolmore sorts, but Delacroix appears to boast the strongest claims. By super sire Dubawi and out of US wonder mare Tepin, this good-looking bay makes masses of appeal on paper.
Thus far, he has largely backed up that promise with his displays on the track, with his latest effort seeing him lose out by just a nose in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy. He’s the choice of Ryan Moore and may be the one they all have to beat.
O’Brien Jnr and Murray Head the Opposition
Aidan O’Brien leads the way on numbers, but only just, with both his son, Joseph O’Brien, and Adrian Murray doubly represented.
Having claimed this race for the only time with Rekindling in 2017, Joseph O’Brien sends Kibris and Wemightakedlongway into battle. The latter brings stronger form to the table, having finished third in Group 3 company, but Kibris falls into the “could be anything” category following an impressive maiden success at the Curragh.
Kibris makes a winning debut at the Curragh for trainer @JosephOBrien2 & jockey @DylanBrowneMcM #Winner #DoubleGreen pic.twitter.com/t51ubVkfQv
— Simon Munir (@simon_munir) November 3, 2024
Adrian Murray, meanwhile, caused a huge upset when saddling 50/1 shot Dallas Star to victory in the 2024 edition of this, and will hope to upset the O’Brien applecart once again. Tiberius Thunder and Spicy Margarita each have the benefit of a run under their belts. The former scored nicely at Dundalk in February, whilst the latter looked like a step up in trip may suit when second at Dundalk earlier in the month.
Can Aidan O’Brien end his wait for a record-extending 12th Ballysax Stakes victory? Will his son prove his undoing? Or can Aidan Murray spring another surprise? Sunday at 3:45 is the time to find out in what promises to be a cracker.