Zhukova is a class above the rest

On the domestic front it was a relatively quiet week but last weekend was truly one to savour for the great international pioneer Dermot Weld as he sent out Zhukova to claim the Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes in New York last Saturday.

This daughter of Fastnet Rock outclassed the local opposition to win this famous turf prize with any amount to spare.

The manner of this success would suggest that Zhukova could be a live candidate for Breeders Cup honours later in the year but before then a high profile European campaign surely beckons. Back to the scene of one of greatest triumphs, which came courtesy of Go And Go in the 1990 Belmont Stakes, Weld was achieving the distinction of sending out the first mare to win this race in 39 years.

DERBY TRIALS

Not for the first time in recent seasons the Epsom Derby picture is looking decidedly unclear.

At this stage much of the build up to the Derby concerns the participation of the 2000 Guineas winner Churchill but Aidan O’Brien will surely have been heartened by the efforts of his team in the various Derby Trials. Admittedly there was disappointment with Sir John Lavery at Lingfield at the weekend but that was preceded by a Dee Stakes win for Cliffs of Moher and a one-two-three in the Chester Vase.

That clean sweep in the Vase followed on from another one-two-three in the Derrinstown Derby Trial, all of which would indicate that O’Brien will have a host of credible contenders to field for Epsom. At this stage none of the Derby Trials have played host to a compelling performance but one gets the impression that there could be a lot more to come from Cliffs Of Moher.

On a related matter if Churchill were to head to Epsom that would leave the Irish 2000 Guineas as quite an open affair and a colt to keep in mind for that race is Irishcorrespondent. Michael Halford’s charge looked smart when making a winning debut in a Leopardstown maiden last month and he confirmed that impression with a commanding success in a Curragh conditions race last Sunday.

Ahead of Ireland’s only breeze-up sale at Goresbridge there were further heartening trends in evidence at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale last weekend where records fell by the wayside.

In recent weeks the European breeze-up market has been in fine heart and that carried through to Deauville where centre stage went to one of the all time great pinhooks in a €1.4m son of the American sire Street Sense.

A $15,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland last September by Jim McCartan’s MC Bloodstock, the colt was sold by Willie Browne and he was knocked down to Kerri Ratcliffe who reported that he will go into training with her husband, Jeremy Noseda. Of the 124 horses offered, 94 were sold for a turnover of almost €13m which was a marked increase on the near €10.5m taken in at last year’s sale. The average climbed to €137,745 while the median came in at an improved €82,500. Furthermore, the number of lots to make at least €250,000 rose from ten to 17 this time around.