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Tom Weekes

Tom Weekes

Donnacha O'Brien eyes Epsom with Ballysax winner

Sat 2nd Apr 2022, 16:54

Piz Badile (right), with BuckarooPiz Badile (right), with Buckaroo
© Photo Healy Racing

Rookie trainer Donnacha O'Brien is planning an Epsom Derby bid with Piz Badile which today narrowly defeated his brother Joseph O'Brien's Buckaroo in winning Leopardstown's Group 3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

A debut winner at Killarney last July, Piz Badile finished second in the Eyrefield Stakes last October and today, under jockey Gavin Ryan, showed further improvement when overhauling Buckaroo in the last strides, to score a short-head success.

Donnacha O'Brien, a dual Champion Jockey who won the 2018 renewal on Nelson, is in his third season with a trainers' license and commented “he's always been a beautiful horse and he's matured well over the winter. It was a lovely performance and it's nice to see him able to quicken like that because I know he stays well.

“He's going to be better when he goes a mile-and-a-half but I think the fact that he can quicken means he's got a bit of class.

“The plan has been here, Derrinstown (Stud Derby Trial, in May) and then Epsom. Obviously everything has to go right back here the next day but that's been the plan for a while and that's what we'll stick to.

“He'll be fine on any ground, I'd have no problems with soft ground and no problems with good ground. He's very versatile.”

Piz Badile is a mountain in Switzerland whose summit ridge is on the border of the Italian region of Lombardy.

Quotes from Gary Carson

1st
4/1
Tote €5.00 €1.80
2nd
shd
9/2
€1.20
3rd
3.75L
10/3Fav
€1.50
4th
1.75L
11/2
About Tom Weekes
A lifelong racing fan, Tom began writing point to point reports in 2002 and has reported for irishracing.com since 2003, when he joined Irish Racing Services - since taken over by the Press Association. Has ridden a point to point winner and won the 2018 Irish Field Naps Table.