IT WAS a weekend that promised so much, yet delivered disappointingly little for Aidan O'Brien, but Leopardstown on Saturday gave the first signs that the slumbering giant of Dermot Weld's Curragh yard is beginning to stretch itself into wakefulness.
It normally doesn't take Weld and stable jockey Michael Kinane three weeks to register their first winners of the new season. Indeed Kinane was heard to say "I didn't know where the number one was" when returning on that first winner, Casey Tibbs, but Saturday could be the booster the combination wanted.
Casey Tibbs's demolition job on some highly touted opponents in the Ballysax Stakes had Weld mentioning the Irish Derby but that race could also end up as the target for the even more loudly touted Stage Affair who worked over nine furlongs after racing.
The Theatrical colt impressively won his only race at Gal way last September and is on course to reappear in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. "He worked nicely and did what was asked of him," Weld reported yesterday after pondering how Saturday had given evidence of there being at least two classic hopefuls in his yard.
Casey Tibbs proved it in competition when quickening up impressively from last to first to beat Zafarabad by a length and a half, with the favourite Strawberry Roan only fourth.
"He annihilated some well regarded horses and I was very impressed with Casey Tibbs," Weld said. "He and Stage Affair are very different types. Casey Tibbs is more mature while Stage Affair is more angular and has some developing to do. Personally I think the Epsom Derby might come too soon for Stage Affair and I've always thought of him more as an Irish Derby horse. We'll know more after the Derrinstown. Casey Tibbs will go for the Gallinule and hopefully make, his way quietly to the Derby too.
Dance Design was another Weld trained star to work after racing and the Irish Oaks winner went a mile in preparation for her reappearance in the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh on May 3rd. If Dance Design runs in the Mooresbridge, Kinane will ride, thus ruling himself out of the mount on Desert Story in the English 2,000 Guineas.
"Things should start picking up now. The horses have been a bit flat and not finishing out their races as I would have liked but we don't know why. The horses are not sick and they look fine but we've obviously had some low grade virus in the yard," Weld concluded.
Aidan O'Brien was left even more mystified after a day which had promised so much ended up with him scoring only one winner, and that with the stable second string, Classic Park, in the 1,000 Guineas Trial.
Shell Ginger attempted to make all in the seven furlong race but Christy Roche was rowing on the highly regarded filly early in the straight and she could eventually only manage fourth, beaten a long way by her stable companion who just pipped Chania.
"The inside track is very tight and a six furlong horse could win over seven out there," was Roche's interesting report on Shell Ginger while O'Brien admitted that the Epsom Oaks may be a more viable option for her than the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
"She's a real galloper and the track didn't suit her. She went a very strong pace and got tired," O'Brien said.
Plaza De Toros was the O'Brien representative turned over in the 2,000 Guineas Trial but this market drifter ran well enough to be third behind Lil's Boy and the gambled on English raider Fly To The Stars.
Backed from 6 to 4 to 4 to 6, Fly To The Stars overcame a wide run to lead a half furlong from home but in a desperate finish Kevin Manning got Lil's Boy back up to win by the minimum margin. It was at a price, however, as Manning and Jason Weaver on the runner up each got two day bans for their use of the whip.
"Even if it was a messy race I still expected better than that," said Fly To The Stars trainer Mark Johnston, while Jim Bolger is likely to run Lil's Boy in the Tetrarch Stakes before deciding on the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
O'Brien's frustrating day, which opened with two seconds in the first two races, ended with Royale managing only third to the Charles O'Brien trained Ashley Park in the April Maiden. The Weld trained Delirious Moment was all the rage in the market here but got run out of it close home. Willie Supple on the winner, though, also picked a two day ban for excessive use of the whip.
. Aidan O'Brien saddled his first classic runner of the season, Orange Jasmine, to finish a creditable second in the Italian 1,000 Guineas in Rome yesterday. Orange Jasmine ran on well for Seamus Heffernan, but it was the home runner, Nicole Pharly (Frankie Dettori), who stole the honours by two and a quarter lengths.
