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Christmas comes around quickly

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Christmas Day, ridden by Wayne Lordan and sent off an 11/1 chance on seasonal debut, came home strongest of all to win the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

The son of Camelot proved to be a progressive colt at two, winning a Group 3 on his final start in October, and showed a good attitude late on to reel in and overhaul front-running stablemate Endorsement (17/2) to score by half a length.

There was another half-length back to A Boy Named Susie (11/2) in third, with O'Brien's Italy fourth.

The disappointment of the race was Ballydoyle's even-money favourite Pierre Bonnard who looked laboured in the home straight and finished out of the frame in the hands of Ryan Moore.

He was pushed out to 6/1 (from 7/2 favourite) for the Betfred Derby, with the winner Christmas Day slashed to 16/1 from 40s for the Epsom Classic.

Straight and True by the stands' rail

True Love (3/1 joint-favourite) was clipped to 8/1 from 12s for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket after winning the Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle Stakes on seasonal debut.

Aidan O'Brien's No Nay Never filly, winner of the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, was last seen finishing down the field in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar but made a fine start to her three-year-old campaign.

The runners were spread across the track soon after turning for home and Ryan Moore brought the winner with a sustained run close to the nearside rail to ultimately win by a length and a quarter from 28/1 outsider Magny Cours. Pivotal Attack (10/1) was third, with the other joint-favourite Black Caviar Gold a disappointing ninth.

O'Brien said on Racing TV: "She's a big pacy mare, whether she'd get the mile or not it's hard to know but Ryan said she travelled very easily, went through the race very easily, so he was very happy. The mile is what you can't be sure about.

"Ryan rode her positively, wanting to find out. He gave her a beautiful ride, she's a big, high-cruiser, and she's a classy filly. Definitely something to look forward to.

"She's definitely a possible for it - obviously she can go to France if she doesn't go to Newmarket."

There was a third winner on the day for O'Brien as Moore guided the 3/1 chance Cape Cod to a half-length victory in the concluding Tony Harmon Services Handicap.

Stacks of potential

Thesecretadversary won the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks Stakes over the extended seven furlongs.

Fozzy Stack’s chestnut, a son of St Mark’s Basilica having his first start of the season having one of five starts last year and ended his campaign with a Grade 1 fifth at Woodbine in Canada, overcame a 211-day layoff with a fine performance.

Jockey Seamie Heffernan brought the three-year-old with a well-timed run towards the centre of the track to claim Power Blue around a furlong from home, and the white-faced winner quickened nicely to score by two and a half lengths.

The Group 1-winning Power Blue stuck to his task in second, with Redemption Road third at 25/1, while there was drama on the turn for home as Warsaw appeared to break down injured and Ronan Whelan was unseated from Aidan O’Brien’s horse.

Paddy Power and Sky Bet make Thesecretadversary a 25/1 shot (from 66/1) for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

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