Three Performances From The Weekend - 10/05/21

Albaflora in the feature race at Ascot on Saturday in the Listed Buckhound Stakes ran out a superb winner by seven lengths, with the distance and soft ground seeing her give the best run of her career.

The four year old was smart in the majority of her five outings last term, getting off the mark at the first time of asking at Haydock over 10f, seeing off some next time out winners.

She then was slightly upped in trip at York for the Group Three Musidora Stakes where she was a good second behind the Mark Johnston trained Rose Of Kildare.

Stepped up to 1m4f at York she was beaten by better horses, but bounced back to form over the same trip next time out when going down by a head in her first handicap.

She was last seen again going down by a head over 1m6f in a Listed event at Ascot, being beaten by the St Leger second Berkshire Rocco.

Back for her seasonal debut, she travelled into the race well and when Rossa Ryan asked her to go for home she did that and some, taking the event by seven lengths.

Her jockey after the race gave her an extremely glowing review and expects her to come on again for that run.

She has stayers in the family and also horses who appreciate cut in the ground, so this could see her stepped in trip if getting soft ground throughout the term.

Sherbet Lemon for Archie Watson was the shock big priced winner of the Listed Oaks Trial at Lingfield on Saturday and we believe this filly could be a big Oaks contender.

The daughter of Lemon Drop Kid before had been seen twice before her win on Saturday, getting off the mark over a mile in February at Newcastle and then in April finished a good fourth behind Noon Star at Wetherby.

Being a half sister to a horse that finished third in the Melbourne Cup, meant her pedigree suggests she was going to get the trip, but there was a question over the soft ground.

However, she showed clear improvement for the extra distance and also handled the softer ground well to take the event at odds of 28/1.

She looks versatile when it comes to ground and if handling the Epsom track, she could be a serious contender for the Oaks next month.

We have saved the best performance of the weekend for last with Bolshoi Ballet landing the Group Three Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes for Aidan O'Brien.

The three year old son of Galileo was seen three times as a juvenile, finishing third at Newmarket on debut over a mile in a Maiden and backing that up at Leopardstown over the same trip when getting off the mark for the first time in his career.

He was sent to Saint-Cloud for the Group One Criterium and could only finish a close up fifth behind some nice horses, with the softer ground going against him.

The colt came back for his first race of the season over course and distance at Leopardstown and managed to land the Group Three Ballysax Stakes in good style.

O'Brien had targeted the Group Three event at the weekend for sometime, but the improvement from his first run was mesmerising and it saw him go into be the new 7/4 favourite for the Epsom Derby.

All roads now lead to Epsom and he has given O'Brien a big chance of taking out his ninth win in the most watched Classic race of the season.