'We’ve been happy with everything he has been doing' - Aidan O'Brien trio go on Derby trial in Ballysax Stakes

Leopardstown hosts an extremely high-class card with some very informative contests that could serve as strong pointers to the British and Irish Classics, but there is an inspection at 7.30am on Sunday.

Alexandroupolis and Denmark were touted as possible Derby contenders after they won their maidens at Galway and Naas last season and they will seek to start off potentially promising three-year-old campaigns.

The contest has long been an effective Derby trial with the likes of Harzand, High Chaparral and Galileo claiming the race before going on to Epsom glory. Ballydoyle have landed it in four of the last five years with Broome coming closest to securing the double when he was just beaten a length into fourth in the 2019 Derby.

Alexandroupolis looked a colt out of the top drawer when he stayed on strongly to win his maiden at Galway last September despite not seeing daylight until late on. The son of Camelot burst through the gap that day and flew home, and the step up in trip looks like it could bring out even more improvement, while soft ground doesn't seem like it will be an issue.

He will likely be a warm order and could go a long way towards justifying his 12-1 odds for the Epsom Classic.

Denmark is another horse for Ballydoyle who shapes as though he will relish the extra distance. He looked a very smart prospect when he bolted up in a Naas maiden last August and was unlucky not to win at Longchamp on his final start where he was denied by a short head after the winner got first run.

The son of Camelot is a half-brother to three winners, most notably Big Blue, who won over 1m7f. This test looks almost sure to bring about significant improvement and he could put it up to the likely favourite before evolving into a St Leger horse later on in the season.

O'Brien also saddles Mohawk Chief, who showed a good attitude when rallying to prevail in a maiden at this track last October. This is a significant step up in trip for the son of Quality Road as that success was over 7f and it will be interesting to see how he fares.

Last year's winning trainer Donnacha O'Brien relies on Alder, who seemed to thrive on his racing as a two-year-old which involved a narrow Killarney maiden win before going on to run a cracker behind Auguste Rodin in a Group 2 at this track. If he can maintain the level of improvement he displayed last season then he could play a big part with the trip promising to suit.

Donnacha O'Brien: bidding for a repeat Ballysax successCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

John Murphy unleashes another one of his smart two-year-olds here with White Birch, who coasted home in a maiden at Dundalk last November, beating the now 74-rated Brasilian Princess by six and a half lengths. He looks a very useful prospect going into this campaign, but he might find testing ground coupled with the step up in trip difficult to cope with in this company.

'We don't think the trip will be any issue'

Aidan O'Brien is ready to unleash his impressive Galway maiden winner Alexandroupolis. The once-raced winner is stepping up a furlong in trip but shaped as if he would relish such a test at Ballybrit and he seeks to take in this contest before going on to bigger challenges in his three-year-old campaign, including a possible tilt at the Derby.

The Ballydoyle trainer has reported the son of Camelot has been pleasing connections at home and the team are confident the step up in trip should pose no issues. Despite being one of the most inexperienced colts in the field, he will likely have plenty of supporters who will be envisaging him capable of achieving Classic success later in the season.

O'Brien said: "He looked promising when winning his maiden at Galway on soft ground. He has been working nicely and we don’t think the trip will be any issue to him. He's in good form and we’ve been happy with everything he has been doing so far."

What they say

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Denmark, Mohawk Chief
There’s no doubt that the step up in trip will suit Denmark. He is a big, hardy colt who could even get further than this and he’s working nicely. Mohawk Chief is another tough, hardy horse. The trip should be fine for him, he’s a little bit lazy but that’s just the way he is. We're hopeful of a good run.

George Murphy, assistant to John Murphy, trainer of White Birch
We think he is a very nice horse but this obviously a big step up. We do think he is quite smart. It’s a big step up in trip on probable testing ground, but we think he will handle both fine. He's an exciting horse to look forward to.

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