Moonlight Magic shows Derby credentials with impressive victory in Derrinstown Derby Trial

Published:
18:58 GMT, 8 May 2016

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Updated:
18:58 GMT, 8 May 2016

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Trainer Jim Bolger will chase a second Investec Derby with Moonlight Magic after the Godolphin-owned colt landed the Derrinstown Derby Trial by a length and a half.

Godolphin’s Derby hand was further strengthened when their Andre Fabre-trained Cloth of Stars won the Prix Greffulhe at Saint Cloud.

He could be supplemented to the race and is a 14-1 shot with Ladbrokes, odds they predict will half if and when Cloth of Stars receives the green light to run.

Godolphin-owned Moonlight Magic landed the Derrinstown Derby Trial by a length and a half on Sunday

But the firmer Epsom commitment came from Bolger, who described Moonlight Magic as a ‘proper Derby horse’.

Ladbrokes cut the his Epsom odds to 10-1 (from 25s) after he posted a positive message amid a sea of negativity the currently swirls around the premier Classic of the Flat season.

Moonlight Magic is certainly bred for the job. The son of Cape Cross is closely related to two Derby winners in Galileo and Sea The Stars while his dam, Melikah, was third to Love Divine in the 2000 Oaks.

Bolger, who won the Derby with New Approach in 2008, said that his dual winner as a two-year-old had not been right when well beaten behind Harzand in last month’s Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

Asked if he was keen to take his 6-1 winner to Epsom, Bolger said: ‘I would love to go there. I would respect the opposition but I would not fear them. He is a very classy horse and he will stay a mile and a half.’

Once again the Aidan O’Brien team failed to throw up a stand-out Derby colt, his four Derrinstown runners – Shogun, Idaho, Beacon Rock and Lieutenant General – finishing second, third, fourth and sixth respectively.

Trainer Jim Bolger with Moonlight Magic after winning The Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes

The run of the O’Brien squad followed the narrow victory of his perceived No 1 colt US Army Ranger from stablemate Port Douglas in last week’s Chester Vase and Landofhopeandglory’s defeat behind Humphrey Bogart in Saturday’s Lingfield Derby trial.

With Hugo Palmer’s 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold sticking to a mile and missing the Derby, the race looks wide open.

But Sir Michael Stoute’s Midterm has the potential to explode in the ante-post betting with a big run in Thursday’s Dante Stakes at York.

There is also the possibility, albeit it one which seems unlikely, of O’Brien’s 1,000 Guineas winner Minding taking on the colts rather than taking the more usual route for a filly to the Oaks.