Epsom fourth Bay Of Brilliance heading for German Derby

Connections of Bay Of Brilliance are excited for a second crack at Classic honours ahead of their raiding mission on the German Derby with the talented Epsom fourth.

Ralph Beckett’s colt pushed William Haggas’ Maltese Cross close at Lingfield to book his ticket to the Derby and having enhanced his reputation with a brave performance in testing conditions on the Surrey Downs, his team are hoping they have chosen correctly in heading to Hamburg over last week’s Irish equivalent at the Curragh.

Alex Elliott, racing adviser for joint-owners Valmont, said: “We’re drawn in six which is perfect, but there is rain forecast and we don’t really want much as we think he’s better on better ground – he finished closer to Maltese Cross on firm ground at Lingfield than he did at Epsom and he’s a good moving horse.

“It was a very attritional race the Derby and we were toying with the Irish Derby, but Benvenuto Cellini went back there as did Christmas Day and James J Braddock so we thought we might be 33-1 at the Curragh where we could be 3-1 in Germany.

“The ground would probably have suited us better in Ireland we feel, but as long as they don’t get too much rain he should be OK and he did win on soft as a two-year-old.

“Our biggest worry would be if Epsom left its mark as they did finish very tired and as we saw in the Irish Derby, James J Braddock ran no sort of race.

“But the extra week will have helped us we think and Ralph says the horse is in good form. We look forward to going there with a first- or second-favourite’s chance.”

Although leading rider Cieren Fallon will link up with local hope Chiefland for Henk Grewe, Bay Of Brilliance will be the only British or Irish-trained runner in the line-up after Aidan O’Brien’s pair of Hawk Mountain and Causeway were not confirmed for the final field.

However, Bay Of Brilliance will also bring an Australian interest to the race, as the son of New Bay is set to don the colours of new joint-owner Aziz ‘Ozzie’ Kheir for the first time.

A Melbourne Cup winner as part-owner of Verry Elleegant, Kheir and his partners have bought into Bay Of Brilliance after he finished just behind their very own James J Braddock at Epsom and there will be obvious high-ranking assignments in the southern hemisphere entering the equation later in the year.

Elliott explained: “Our Australian partners were keen to go to Germany as the aim is to take him to Australia at the end of the year, but to qualify for those Cup races out there you need to have finished in the first three of a Group One to gain automatic entry.

“Doing that in any Group One is not easy, but Germany felt the easiest choice to achieve that.

“If he finishes in the three this weekend then he could race on in Europe a bit longer than anticipated. If he wins the German Derby we could be thinking St Leger and we’ll take things one step at a time.

“But he was sold under the pretence that he would head to Australia later on this year.”