racing_news/

Sugar Boy's Sweet Classic Trial
26/04/13

1 Sugar Boy 4/1
2 Eye Of The Storm 2/1F
3 Galileo Rock 8/1
7 ran Distances: hd, ½l, 8l
TIME 2m 12.26s (slow by 6.26s)

Sugar Boy bravely repelled the challenges of Eye Of The Storm and Galileo Rock in an Irish-dominated finish to the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown on Friday, April 26.

Sugar Boy
© Racehorse Photos

The Patrick Prendergast-trained winner struck three times during a successful juvenile campaign and chased home Aidan O'Brien's Battle Of Marengo on his three-year-old debut in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

With O'Brien's Eye Of The Storm the 2-1 favourite for this Group Three test, Sugar Boy was soon making the running in the hands of Chris Hayes, and though the market leader drew alongside at the top of the straight and briefly went to the front, the 4-1 shot battled back tenaciously and was a head to the good passing the post.

David Wachman's Galileo Rock was under pressure far earlier than the front pair, but there was much to like about the way he came home to finish a clear third.

Hayes said: "He's a good galloper and Patrick filled me with confidence going out.

"I just said to Patrick that if we'd got beat it would have been my fault because I possibly didn't make enough use of him. It was my first time riding at the track and I thought I'd gone quick enough in the ground. But looking at how he finished, I could have gone a bit quicker."

Prendergast added: "I worked over here for Sir Michael Stoute and Ed Dunlop, so I knew Sandown well.

"He's a relentless galloper and the only other opportunity was the Derrinstown (Stud Derby Trial), but I thought that would be sharp enough for him.

"He'll go for the Irish Derby and he could go straight there. If he needed another run, his only option is the Nijinsky Stakes at Leopardstown. Hopefully, later on, he could come back over here for the English St Leger."

bet365 Classic Trial (Group 3)
£60,000 added, 3yo only, 1m 2f 7y, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good (Good to Soft in places)