Originally slated to contest the G2 Dante S. next month, Listed Blue Riband Trial winner Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will instead head straight to the G1 Derby on June 1, trainer Andrew Balding confirmed on Thursday.
A winner of a Newmarket maiden at fourth asking in September, the King Power Racing-owned colt ran out a three-quarter length winner of the Epsom pointer on Apr. 23.
“We were delighted with his win in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom and the plan now is to go straight for the Derby,” the trainer said in a stable tour on attheraces.com. “We know he handles the track, I'm pretty sure he will stay, and he is certainly in the mix for the places.
“He has ticked a lot of boxes, so we don't see the point in running him again before the Derby.”
Balding also had an update on Opulence Thoroughbreds and Teme Valley's listed winner Purosangue (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}), who is targeting either the G3 Pavilion S. next week or the G2 Duke of York S. in the middle of May. The brown colt was second in the G3 Molecomb S. last August.
“He was a very smart sprinter last year and his form is rock solid,” the trainer said. “His work has been good this year and it looks like he has trained on grand.
“He will either go to Ascot next Wednesday or to the Duke Of York, and we very much hope he is going to develop into a Commonwealth Cup horse.”
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