Classic preparations continue apace on Saturday, with Lingfield staging the Listed Oaks and Derby Trials and Naas hosting the G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind S. Godolphin did not fare well in the main events at Chester this week, but are well-represented again in both Lingfield trials with the Derby hopeful Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), such an eye-catching runner-up in the Apr. 23 G3 Sandown Classic Trial on the same card that the filly Nash Nasha (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) captured a well-contested novice. Adayar will be a warm order to deny a pair of Ballydoyle representatives in the Moyglare Stud colour-bearer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who took Cork's competitive Blackwater Race also on Apr. 23, and the G3 Eyrefield S. third Carlisle Bay (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Charlie Appleby said, “Adayar is proven on soft ground, although I'm always a little bit hesitant when you win a soft-ground maiden. You could just have been the class horse in the race and on any ground you'd win. Everyone is testing their credentials and with the other two going to Chester, we thought we'd let Adayar go to Lingfield, where he should get nice, easy ground as well.”
Aidan O'Brien said of his duo, “Carlisle Bay is a tough, solid horse who we always thought would get a mile and a half well. He's a little bit lazy and a little bit laid-back, but that's the way he's always been and he's been working nicely. Kyprios is a horse we always liked last year. He had a nice run in a winners' race in Cork a couple of weeks ago and we always thought he would get a mile and a half well as well. Both are in good form, we think both will get the trip well and we think both will come on from their runs.” Nash Nasha has several well-regarded peers to take on including a pair of unexposed John and Thady Gosden-trained bluebloods in Loving Dream (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was runner-up to 'TDN Rising Star' Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}) in a 10-furlong Wetherby novice on Apr. 25, and Regent (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who beat the re-opposing Invite (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) also over that trip on the Polytrack here on Mar. 26.
In the Blue Wind, a trio of 4-year-old fillies make the contest an Oaks trial with a difference and Ballydoyle's well-regarded Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah) looks to put a disappointing seasonal bow behind her when seventh in the Listed Salsabil S. at Navan on Apr. 25. She gets 15 pounds from Gary Barber and Team Valor International's year-older Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was last seen finishing second in Leopardstown's G3 Kilternan S. in September.
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