Camille Pissarro (left) and Ryan Moore © Photo Healy Racing
Aidan O’Brien’s expensive purchase Camille Pissarro justified odds-on favouritism when making a winning debut at Navan.
The imposing colt by Wootton Bassett cost 1.25 million guineas as a yearling, partly because he is a half-brother to Clive Cox’s Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde.
Ryan Moore briefly looked in trouble two furlongs out but was just cajoling his mount along to keep him in contention as Billie Be Quick gave him something to aim at.
Camille Pissarro wore him down though and then repelled the late run of Fozzy Stack’s New Theory by a length and a half, in a race the same connections won 12 months ago with subsequent Royal Ascot winner River Tiber.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “A lovely start. He’s a horse that has shown a bit at home and it is great to get him out here.
“He has a very good attitude which is typical of the Wootton Bassett’s.
“He is very exciting, the penny was only starting to drop with him really in the last half-furlong which was probably the best part of the race for him.
“He is definitely one for (Royal) Ascot, he’s a classy sort. Whether we get one run into him between now and Ascot, I’m not sure. We could go to Ascot without a run.
“He’s one of the smart ones and exciting.”
When asked if he could go over six or seven furlongs at Ascot, he replied: “The last half-furlong he only really figured out what everything was about.
“Once he puts the front nine and back nine together, he is very exciting.
“He has got an unbelievable pedigree by Wootton Bassett and a fantastic attitude.”
Jessica Harrington ’s Givemethebeatboys (13-8 favourite) also has Royal Ascot on his agenda after getting up to deny Betsen in the final strides of the Space Traveller Irish EBF Committed Stakes.
The colt was last seen finishing fourth in the Middle Park Stakes and subsequently travelled to America for the Breeders’ Cup, but was scratched by the local vets on raceday.
“He toughed it out well,” said Harrington.
“He did everything wrong in a way because he was free early on, took a blow at the furlong pole and he (Shane Foley) had to wait for him, the other horse (Betsen) had had a run and he will be much better for that. That will sharpen him up a lot.
“He was good with the penalty on him. He got rolling again and was always going to get there.
“He’ll go to Naas now and then the plan is the Commonwealth Cup.”
