Drumbeat was cut to 12/1 for Derby glory at Epsom next June after winning a French Group 1 for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore on Sunday.
The son of Wootton Bassett has had a relatively busy juvenile campaign but was sent off the 4/6 favourite for the Criterium De Saint-Cloud and didn't disappoint his backers in the hands of Moore.
Drumbeat was buried away behind rivals with a couple of furlongs to travel but once in the clear he picked up stylishly to overhaul stablemate Shakespeare in the testing conditions before staying on to score by two lengths.
Shakespeare held onto second spot with O'Brien's son Joseph saddling the third home, 5/2 chance Jesus Green, ahead of a pair of Charlie Appleby-trained runners in Royal Acclamation and Al Jabbar.
Another exciting colt for team Ballydoyle! 🤩
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 25, 2026
Drumbeat proves a class apart in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud! 🏆🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/6H4Yl0JNKh
Paddy Power make the winner 12/1 for the 2027 Derby at Epsom and Aidan O'Brien said on Sky Sports Racing: "Ryan gave him a lovely ride and taught him plenty. I'm delighted really.
"He's a lovely horse, he handled the ground and got the trip will. I'm over the moon really.
"I couldn't be happier really, he's a lovely horse to think about for next year. We'll see what the spring brings and you'd have to be very happy."
O'Brien and Moore went on to complete a Group 1 double on the card as Queenstown won the Prix Royal-Oak from runner-up Consent for Sir Mark Prescott.
Paddy Power and Sky Bet make Queenstown a 20/1 chance for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot next summer.
O’Brien now sits on 25 Group 1 winners for 2026 and close to his own record of 28 top-class victories in a calendar year.
What a training performance! 🤯
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 25, 2026
Just over a week on from his second in the Long Distance Cup, Queenstown dominates his rivals in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak! 🏆🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/L7qbWDT7Wl
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