It already feels like the main part of the European season is more than just a week old and the unrelenting catch-up moves to Leopardstown on Tuesday where the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial takes centre stage. Aidan O'Brien has won 12 of these and saddles half of the field with Seamus Heffernan on the Laurie Macri colourbearer Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Impressive at the end of a mile maiden staged on soft-to-heavy ground on the opening day of the Irish flat turf season at Naas Mar. 23, the son of connections' triple Group 1 heroine Atlantic Jewel (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) could have more scope than the stable's G2 Royal Lodge S. third and G3 Killavullan S. runner-up Iberia (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Jim Bolger's G2 Champions Juvenile S. third Agitare (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). Away from the established major stables, Andrew Slattery has more than a small interest as he opts to send Pat Garvey's impressive nine-furlong Tipperary maiden scorer Sunchart (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) into battle.
In the seven-furlong G3 Leopardstown Fillies Trial S., Ballydoyle also have a strong hand with a trio of contenders headed by the G1 Cheveley Park S. fourth Tango (Ire) (No Nay Never) taking on the likes of Scott Heider's A New Dawn (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) from Joseph O'Brien's stable. She will give a clue as to the prospects of his brother's G1 Irish 1000 Guineas hope Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), having come off second best to her in the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. at The Curragh in October. The third piece of black-type action is the Listed Holden Plant Rental Trial S., in which Ballydoyle's Year of the Tiger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is certain to attract strong support having finished third on his last start behind Kameko (Kitten's Joy) in the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Newcastle in November.
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