He has the size and scope of a horse who could jump a fence, but Risk Material showed the sort of speed in winning at Leopardstown yesterday which suggests he will be a significant player in the Irish Derby.
In hindsight, the Group Three Derrinstown Derby Trial was all over after just two furlongs. Disappointed with the slow early pace, Christy Roche powered Risk Material into the lead and, revelling in the freedom, the colt was soon five lengths clear.
Behind him, Sunshine Street and Takarian led the pack with the well backed Hibernian Rhapsody held up, but any hope they might have had of overhauling the leader disappeared when Roche kicked again early in the straight.
Risk Material might not have been doing a lot in front, but what he did was enough to win by a length and a half and prompt thoughts of a visit to Royal Ascot for his owners, the brothers Jack, Louis and David Ronan from Clonmel.
"It will be either Ascot or the Gallinule Stakes," said Aidan O'Brien, whose affection for the strapping Risk Material is obvious. "He's a lovely horse who attacks his races. We'll consider the King Edward or the Queen's Vase at Ascot, but we are thinking of the Irish Derby as a main aim. He's crying out for a lead and a good pace, so well done to Christy for letting him stride on."
"I had to go. The lads just dropped in," was Roche's succinct view, and it may be unwise to undervalue the form. Sunshine Street may have been 14 to 1, but Noel Meade is considering the Epsom Derby for the colt, and Dermot Weld said of the fourth, Hibernian Rhapsody: "I'm a trifle disappointed he didn't show more pace, but he's still an Irish Derby horse in my mind."
O'Brien and Roche also landed the 1,000 Guineas Trial, but with different tactics. Kitza benefited from the strong pace set by two stable companions to storm past the favourite, Idle Rich, at the distance and win by a length and a half.
"She needs a good pace and messy races just don't suit. We'll have a few in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Kitza will be one of them," O'Brien said.
Another O'Brien on the double was Charles, whose hardy perennial Burden Of Proof took the Doyle Amethyst Stakes for the second year running, easily overhauling the favourite, Chateau Royal, in the final furlong.
"He would be a lovely horse to go to the Continent with, but he is such a bad traveller. Even getting him here was a struggle as he hates the horsebox. At this stage of his life, you'd think he'd have more sense, but he won't have far to go to run in the Greenlands," O'Brien said.
The Curragh-based trainer also took the concluding maiden with the favourite, Jarnac, who cow-kicked a handler when being loaded into the stalls but then ran on gamely to beat Francis Bay by three-parts of a length. "Honest but a bit stupid," was O'Brien's judgment of the colt.
Johnny Murtagh, who had ridden a waiting race on Burden Of Proof, repeated that to win the Westbury Handicap very comfortably on Strike Hard, who will next take on Burden Of Proof in that Greenlands Stakes.
Strike Hard showed excellent acceleration to power past the leaders two furlongs out, and Murtagh was motionless long before the post. "A strongly run six furlongs is perfect for her and so is today's slow-good ground," said trainer John Oxx.
Dermot Weld and Mick Kinane may have not won the Derrinstown with Hibernian Rhapsody, but they did win the last of the Jackpot races with Moving On Up, who was good value for his length and half winning margin over Blue Stocking.
"Michael Burke and my wife, Mary, own him and he's a much stronger horse as a four-year-old. Later in the summer I think you'll see him at a western venue!" Weld, the king of the Galway festival, smiled.
Yesterday's Leopardstown meeting attracted a crowd of 6,019 compared to 4,200 last year. The Jackpot pool reached £135,147 and had over 500 winners, while the bookmakers turnover was up £75,000 to £389,055.
