Investec Blue Riband Trial Stakes report: Cape Of Good Hope wins for O'Brien
Cape Of Good Hope boosted his chances of appearing in this year's Investec Derby after giving trainer Aidan O'Brien his first victory in the Investec Blue Riband Trial Stakes at Epsom.
Twice placed at Group-race level last season, the son of Galileo, who is a full-brother to multiple Group One winner Highland Reel, made a triumphant return with victory in the mile-and-a-quarter Listed contest.
After being settled near the rear of the field early on by Ryan Moore, the 4/1 shot steadily worked his way into the race before forging on deep inside the final furlong, holding the fast-finishing Cap Francais by half a length.
As a result he was cut into 25/1 for the Derby by Sky Bet.
Coolmore's UK representative Kevin Buckley said: "He brought probably some of the best form into the race from his performance in the Superlative behind Charlie's (Appleby) horse (Quorto) and being third in the Royal Lodge.
"Coming here you never know what is going to happen, but it is good to get that experience around Epsom. He is a full-brother to Idaho and Highland Reel. Idaho was third in the Derby and Highland Reel won the Coronation Cup. The family has experience and success around here.
"I'm very pleased with that. Ryan said he settled nicely and there was a decent pace in the race. He responded well. We will see how he comes out of it. As Aidan has said openly, he was just ready to start. So he will get him home and see how he is.
"He is entered in the Derby and we will just have to see how these trials go and see what will happen for definite.
"It is not my position to say he is coming here, but on that performance you would like to think so."
🏇 👑 Aidan O'Brien wins the Investec Blue Riband Trial for the first time with Cape Of Good Hope (4/1)!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) April 24, 2019
🤔 How ominous is this for O'Brien's rivals with the @EpsomRacecourse Classic in mind?pic.twitter.com/QMJHeEtxQk
As for the runner-up, trainer Ed Walker is now considering whether to supplement him for the Epsom Classic on June 1.
He said: "Gerald (Mosse) loves him and he was just very fresh today.
"He was a bit like that last year and so we took him to Kempton for an away day and there was about four and a half people there and he behaved like a lamb.
"He came here today and was silly in the paddock, difficult to saddle and was just fresh.
"It is £85,000 to supplement him, so it is a lot of money. We might take in another trial and see what happens. Maybe he is not a horse for the Derby, but for another Derby, maybe Ireland."
Rest of Epsom
Roger Varian saw his master plan for Mountain Angel come together in the Investec City And Suburban Handicap at Epsom on Wednesday.
After winning the mile-and-quarter prize 12 months ago with Ajman King, the Newmarket handler repeated the trick with the gelded son of Dark Angel, who came with a run late on to defeat Aquarium by a length and a half.
Varian said of the 7/2 winner: "It is a nice race to win and we targeted it from quite a way out, as we did with the winner last year. Michael Jarvis used to like winning this race with a progressive horse.
"I think you need a horse that travels round here and this horse really travelled. He was in a good position throughout and Andrea (Atzeni) gave him a beautiful ride. He won nicely on the line and got the split when he needed it. We envisaged something like that and it came off.
"The winner last year Ajman King came back here on Oaks day. Once you have got form here, it is tempting to come back."
Just That Lord took centre stage in the Investec Asset Finance Handicap after making it third-time lucky in the five-furlong contest when prevailing by a neck from Dark Shot.
Trainer Michael Attwater said of the 5/1 winner: "He was third in this last year and second the year before, and he was third in the Dash last year. He likes this track and he deserves his day.
"The other horse (Dark Shot) rattled down the inside and gave us a scare, but he does try very hard. I imagine we will save him for the Dash as he has had two quick runs."
William Knight hopes the three-and-a-quarter-length success secured by Soto Sizzler (11/4 favourite, tipped at 5/1 by Ben Linfoot in his Value Bet column) under Oisin Murphy in the Investec Corporate & Investment Banking Great Metropolitan Handicap is a sign of things to come for the season ahead.
Knight said: "He had a nice run in the Roseberry where he was in fifth gear the whole way round. He came out of that well and I had this race in mind. My only concern was whether he would handle the hill.
"Quite what I do with him now, I'm not sure. We will probably go to Glorious Goodwood maybe for that one-mile-six handicap. He might be a potential Ebor horse."
Murphy completed a double later on the card after Le Don De Vie claimed the Investec Wealth Novice Stakes by a neck to give trainer Andrew Balding successive wins in the extended mile prize having won it last year with Master Of Wine.
Balding said of the 100-30 winner: "We will step back up in trip now, but it looked the right sort of place to start him.
"We won ,for Mick and Janice (Mariscotti, owners), the three-year-old handicap on Derby day a couple of years ago and they were very keen to have another go and he looks just the right type of horse for it."
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