Horse In Profile: Delacroix Aidan O’Brien is one of the best Flat trainers of all time and is the reigning champion on both sides of the Irish Sea. As such, he has a number of well-fancied Derby contenders, one of which is the very talented Delacroix. The son of Dubawi was a smart juvenile last term and middle-distances were always going to be his cup of tea. He could be set to line up in the Group 3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday and will surely have every chance. Here, we take a close look at the horse in question’s profile and consider his chances of going on to Classic glory in next month’s Derby. BoyleSports welcome offer If you already have a BoyleSports account, check out more of the best betting sites and casino bonuses Impressive pedigree Goldolphin’s super sire Dubawi has been successful with Coolmoore’s mares in recent seasons and Delacroix is a perfect example of that. His half-sister was a Group 1 winner over 1m6f for this yard, so 1m4f should be a big help to him further down the line. Tepin was an extremely talented race mare herself and won multiple Group and Grade 1s, including the Queen Anne in 2016. With the top mare and top sire boxes both ticked, there’s very little to dislike about his impressive pedigree. Early potential on show Delacroix bumped into a smart one on debut over a mile at Leopardstown and he looked badly in need of the experience. He was slow to get away and looked very green at a key stage. That being said, he stuck to his task well to finish second. O’Brien’s colt got upset in the stalls at the Curragh next time, but that didn’t prevent him from getting off the mark. Stablemate Acapulco Bay finished second and he boosted the form by winning well next time out. Green Impact got the better of him again in the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes next time, but he managed to get a lot closer and he was gaining with every stride. A return to winning ways then followed in the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket. He was beaten by a nose in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster after that and the performance provided more evidence to the idea that he’s a middle-distance star in the making. The St Leger might even be on the cards later down the line, too. Perfect start to the season Delacroix began the season with a very comfortable win in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in March and the extra two furlongs were unsurprisingly a massive help. You can also be sure that he’ll improve for the run, as the yards runners always do. Stablemate Lambourn was back in second that day and he has since boosted the form by winning the Chester Vase. Puppet Master was back in fourth that day and he has the opportunity to solidify the form further in the Lingfield Derby Trial. Derby Trial next on the agenda Leopardstown’s Group 3 Derby Trial on Sunday should be a fascinating race. Aidan O’Brien trains five of the eight entries and Delacroix is the most exciting of them. Dermot Weld thinks a great deal of Purview and two-year-old Group 1 winner Tennessee Stud would also add another dimension to the race if turning up. Delacroix will need to win here in order to firmly establish his status as a serious contender for the Derby crown at Epsom next month.
