On a day when Godolphin's Derby challenge strengthened considerably, Jim Bolger's Moonlight Magic took this often-vital prep for the blue riband to follow where Andre Fabre's Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) had led in the G2 Prix Greffulhe earlier in the afternoon. Successful from the subsequently listed-placed Embiran (Ire) (Shamardal) on debut over seven furlongs at Cork in mid-October, Moonlight Magic had gone to the Listed Eyrefield S. over nine furlongs here just eight days later and doubled his tally to promote his Classic claims but was only fifth in the G3 Ballysax S. staged on heavy ground over this course and distance on his comeback Apr. 10. Bouncing back on this faster terrain to regain the winning thread, the homebred pointed the way towards Epsom on the first Saturday in June for a Derby that is lacking a stand-out after the first raft of trials and with a 2000 Guineas winner who is staying in mile territory. Settled in third early with an adequate even pace carved out by stablemate Saafarr (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), the bay was driven to the lead at the furlong marker in a typically no-nonsense ride by Kevin Manning and stayed on strongly as Shogun and the favourite Idaho emerged. “I've always thought an awful lot of this horse and he disappointed me here the last day, but the ground was very heavy and he's got back to where I thought he was,” his rider said. “I think stepping up another two furlongs won't inconvenience him and might bring out more in him. He's perhaps more of a Curragh horse than an Epsom horse, but he's got a big future.” Trainer Jim Bolger was leaving no ambiguity as to where he thinks Moonlight Magic should head next. “I think he can go anywhere, but I'll have to talk to the Godolphin people and arrive at a consensus. If it were left to me, I'd be keen to go to Epsom,” he said. “I've always liked him and I got it wrong here the last day when we paid the price for him not being at the top of his game. He's a very classy horse who will stay a mile and a half, but I wouldn't mind dropping him back to a mile either as he has plenty of toe. He's as good today as St Jovite was when he won the same race and he's a proper Derby horse.” Aidan O'Brien said of the second and third, “They ran well. I think you'd have to say Idaho and Shogun would get a mile and a half looking at that, as they weren't stopping at the line.” Arguably the finest-bred runner of the day, the winner is a daughter of Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra) who is one of eight black-type winners out of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and outstanding producer Urban Sea and like another of those Sea the Stars (Ire) shares Cape Cross as a sire. Melikah, who placed in the 2000 G1 English and Irish Oaks and has produced the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville hero Masterstroke (Monsun {Ger}), is also the granddam of the G2 UAE Derby and G3 UAE Oaks-winning Khawlah (Ire), also by Cape Cross. Moonlight Magic's relative Galileo (Ire) also won this by a similar margin prior to his Epsom exploits and he has a 2-year-old half-brother by Dubawi (Ire) named Meistersinger (GB) and a yearling half-sister by the same sire to come. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Sunday, Leopardstown, Ireland
DERRINSTOWN STUD DERBY TRIAL S.-G3, €100,000, LEP, 5-8, 3yo, 10fT, 2:07.74, gd.
1–@MOONLIGHT MAGIC (GB), 129, c, 3, by Cape Cross (Ire)
1st Dam: Melikah (Ire) (SW-Eng, G1SP-Eng & Ire, $125,309), by Lammtarra
2nd Dam: Urban Sea, by Miswaki
3rd Dam: Allegretta (GB), by Lombard (Ger)
O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB); T-Jim Bolger; J-Kevin Manning. €59,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $111,716. *1/2 to Masterstroke (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), GSW & G1SP-Fr, $871,109; and Hidden Gold (Ire) (Shamardal), SW & MGSP-Eng, $211,205. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Shogun (Ire), 129, c, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Perihelion (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€400,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-D Smith/Mrs Magnier/M Tabor/Mrs O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €20,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]3–Idaho (Ire), 129, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Hveger (Aus), by Danehill. (750,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Hveger Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €10,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, SHD. Odds: 6.00, 3.33, 1.88.
Also Ran: Beacon Rock (Ire), Saafarr (GB), Lieutenant General (Ire), Tirmizi (Fr), Ventura Storm (Ire).
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