Christmas Day arrives early for O’Brien at Leopardstown

It was Christmas Day in April for Aidan O’Brien, who may have seen Derby favourite Pierre Bonnard finish well beaten on his return but still claimed the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

Endorsement set the early pace with Pierre Bonnard appearing to travel kindly for Ryan Moore, who was riding the son of Camelot for the first time having been injured when he was making his mark in Group company at the back-end of last season.

However, the warning signs were there three furlongs from home when Moore started to niggle away at his mount with minimal response and Pierre Bonnard would finish well held, as Christmas Day delivered an unexpected gift for his team, confirming the form of his Eyrefield Stakes at this track in October.

He finished half a length clear of long-time front-runner Endorsement at odds of 11-1, with Donnacha O’Brien’s A Boy Named Susie back in third.

“The race kind of broke into two halves a little bit. It was a little bit of a stop-start race, but we were very happy,” said O’Brien.

“Wayne (Lordan, rider of Christmas Day) was very happy with his horse, he gave him a lovely ride. Ronan (Whelan, on Endorsement) was the same.

“Ryan said he would have preferred to be handier and in a little bit more of a rhythm. He ended up where he ended up and he said he was in on the bad ground, but he was very happy with the horse.

“He said he had two blows. We thought that that would happen.

“I was just worried coming here that all the horses were going to need it very badly and they all are having a blow or two, probably more than usual, but we’re delighted.

“The winner is a smart horse. He won a Group race around here with Jack (Cleary) and then we were going to a Group One with him next time in France and he got a temperature and didn’t get to go.

“Wayne said a mile and a quarter, he will stay further but he has pace and he quickened up. He’s very straightforward, he travels, he quickens. He’s by Camelot and he’s a lovely horse.

“He’s just one of those horses that is very uncomplicated. He’s kind of floating along under the radar the whole time.

“Ryan’s horse will leave the run well behind him, he’s a horse that is going to get a mile and a half well. We’re still happy to have got the run in to him.”

On these horses coming back for the Derby Trial here month he added: “Obviously they mightn’t all come back, but Ryan’s horse definitely will come back. The plan was to come back here.

“I was a little bit worried during the week should we give him a little bit more time and then he’d end up going to the Derby with only one run.

“We just felt if he was going to the Derby he needed two runs, win lose or draw. He’s had his first run now, we’ll see him the next day and we’ll be able to assess him properly and then if he is to go to the Derby his preparation should have been fine.

“Obviously there are loads of trials coming up and we always try to split them up for Ryan to get a sit on them all individually and go from there.”

Paddy Power made Christmas Day a 16-1 chance for the Derby, with Pierre Bonnard retaining favouritism but eased to 6-1 from 7-2.