'He's a very exciting colt' - Stone Age made 3-1 Derby favourite after easy win

Sunday: Derby Trial Stakes, Leopardstown

As one Aidan O’Brien star was ruled out of the Cazoo Derby on Sunday, another emerged in emphatic fashion as Stone Age was cut to 3-1 favourite for the Epsom Classic after a scintillating success at Leopardstown.

The son of Galileo made all of the running at a reasonable gallop in the Derby Trial Stakes and when asked to quicken in the straight by Ryan Moore, the response was instant and impressive as he forged clear to win by five and a half lengths from Glory Daze and French Claim.

The race came just minutes after O'Brien had revealed that recent favourite Luxembourg had been ruled out of a trip to Epsom after a slight setback, and at the end of a week of Classic trials at Chester and Lingfield dominated by the Ballydoyle maestro.

O'Brien extolled the virtues of Stone Age, saying: “He steps quick out of the gate and is a high cruiser. He would have been very happy to get a lead if something was going to take him on, but he has the class to pick up, and he can push it all the way to the line.

"He's a lovely, big, hardy horse, but he's not a wimp! He came forward lovely from Navan and we thought he would come forward a bit more here.

"The plan was to give him two runs because he was a maiden, and we always felt he was very good.

"Every time he has run he has gone through the line and he hasn't been stopping, so hopefully he will get a mile and a half.”

Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien are all smiles after Stone Age trounced his rivals in the Derby Trial StakesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Moore, who is in red-hot form having won on 11 of his last 20 rides, said: “We’ve always liked this horse and he was very impressive at Navan. This trial was a good race and I think he will improve again, so he's a very exciting colt.

“I wasn’t surprised how well he won. He gave me a very good feel at Navan and also gave me a good feel as a two-year-old. He ran over seven furlongs in the Lagardere on bad ground last year and wasn’t beaten far. He wouldn’t have been seen to his best effect in those conditions, but he’s always shown us plenty.

“He is growing up. Last year, he tried to jump the whole of the road here, and he had a bit of a look again, so he is still learning.

“We’ll take him to Epsom and find out if he handles it. I’d say this stacks up against the other Derby trials and I am very happy with what he's done there."

The Derby winner or another Bolshoi Ballet? Our experts' views on Stone Age

Glory Daze put in a career-best performance under Ronan Whelan to stay on for second, the 18-1 shot fully justifying trainer Andy Oliver's decision to run him having won a Curragh maiden the previous month.

Oliver said: “That was great. He was very fresh beforehand and lost a shoe at the start, so it was an especially good effort. He stuck at it well and is a tough, genuine horse. Ronan said he would come on for that, so we're very pleased.

"He has a Derby entry and he will get his second-stage entries for Epsom and for the Irish Derby. On the basis of that, we would have to at least consider the Derby for him.”

A neck away in third was French Claim under Billy Lee, who was just nabbed for second close home. Trainer Paddy Twomey said: “The ground was not soft enough for him although it was safe. He wants at least a mile and a half and maybe a mile and six. He's in the Grand Prix de Paris and that would be my preference, with the St Leger down the line if it came up soft.”

Cazoo Derby (4.30 Epsom, June 4)

bet365:3 Stone Age, 9-2 Changingoftheguard, 6 Desert Crown, 8 Piz Badile, 10 Point Lonsdale, 12 Star Of India, United Nations, Walk Of Stars 14 Eydon, New London 16 Buckaroo, Cash, Westover, 20
Magisterial, 25 bar

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