BROAD STREET (left) beating Wargrave at Gowran Park.© Photo Healy Racing
Dermot Weld’s Broad Street will aim to maintain his unbeaten record in Thursday’s GRENKE Finance Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown.
The Sea The Stars colt will be making only the third start of his life as a four-year-old, so connections will be hoping he can continue to make up for lost time.
On his debut last May he beat Lucius Tiberius, now a smart handicapper for Charlie Appleby. He was then off for almost 400 days before winning at Gowran from Fozzy Stack’s Wargrave.
Broad Street is stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time in a race Weld has won nine times, most recently with Eziyra 12 months ago.
Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, said: “He wouldn’t mind any rain and he’s been pleasing Dermot. He’s relatively inexperienced, but he has some talent.
“He’s had one or two little problems, but his form stands up quite well.
“He’s certainly shown he’s got some potential.”
Taking him on is last year’s Irish Derby winner Latrobe who was beaten just a neck by Twilight Payment in the Curragh Cup last time out.
That means it is now eight races since his last success, which came in the Classic.
Jim Bolger runs Guaranteed who won a Listed race on his penultimate outing before finishing a fair fifth in the Irish Derby behind Sovereign.
Aidan O’Brien is responsible for Blenheim Palace who has run in both the French Derby and Belmont equivalent this season. At home his best effort came when second in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial to Broome.
John Oxx is letting Giuseppe Garibaldi take his chance. It will be just his second start for new connections having been based in Qatar since leaving Ballydoyle.
Mick Halford ’s Massif Central completes the six-runner field.
