Horsebetting.com experts give their 2018 Ballyroan Stakes betting tips for the 1m 4f Group 3 contest over in Ireland at Leopardstown on Thursday, 9 August, Eziyra is strongly-fancied to provide trainer Dermot Weld with a ninth success in the race. Previous winner Stellar Mass rates the main danger, while Yucatan cannot totally be ruled out given powerful connections if coping with a step back up in trip. Read our in-depth 2018 Ballyroan Stakes betting tips preview to find out more.Eziyra rates a solid bet in Ballyroan StakesTrainer Dermot Weld has a superb record in the Ballyroan Stakes, so Eziyra is strongly fancied to further enhance it with victory in this year’s renewal of the 1m 4f Group 3 contest at Leopardstown on Thursday evening (20:05).
The Master of Rosewell House has won the race a record eight times courtesy of Gordi (1997), Grand Finale (2000), Vinnie Roe (2002 and 2003), Profound Beauty (2009 and 2010), Sense of Purpose (2011) and Galileo’s Choice (2012). In Eziyra, Weld has a progressive filly who has won four of her eight starts and is yet to finish out of the frame.
After shaping really well runner-up on seasonal reappearance last year over this course and distance in a Listed contest, she was far from disgraced when a keeping on 7 1/2 lengths third of 10 to wonder filly Enable in the Group 1 Irish Oaks at The Curragh.
Eziyra went on to land a Group 3 at Cork in good style before showing a good attitude to dig deep and land a similar grade affair over course and distance on her final start of the campaign. She looked value for more than the three-quarters of a length winning margin in the latter.
This daughter of Teofilio is clearly going the right way and her proven course form is a big plus. Eziyra is also versatile as regards ground and looks the type who should have even more to offer as a four-year-old – a view confirmed by her holding an entry in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at the Ebor Festival later this month.
Connections clearly mean business with her and may have picked this out as a prep run for that big race at York. Eziyra should be up to winning this despite having an absence of 334 days to overcome and has run well fresh in the past.
She also receives a handy 6lb from Yucatan, who is officially rated just 2lb her superior leaving her 4lb well-in to the Ballyroan. There is nothing not to like about her profile for this, so Eziyra is therefore taken to land the spoils en route to better things.Previous winner Stellar Mass feared mostThe Jim Bolger trained Stellar Mass won this race in 2016 and was also far from disgraced when third in last year’s renewal. Having run a cracker when runner-up on seasonal reappearance, he looks the obvious danger to Eziyra.
This five-year-old colt has won four of his 19 starts and also made the frame on six occasions – including when third to Harzand in the 2016 Irish Derby. Stellar Mass was also far from disgraced when beaten just two lengths into fourth behind subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling in last year’s Group 2 Curragh Cup.
The form of those races is solid and there was lots to like about this son of Sea The Stars’ return to action following 324 days on the sidelines in the Group 3 Volvo International Stakes at The Curragh last month. He went down fighting when beaten just a length by Yucatan and now meets that rival, who is rated just 1lb above him, on 3lb better terms.
That should be enough to see Stellar Mass turn the tables, especially given that Yucatan went into the contest with four previous runs under his belt. He also has a very healthy 38 per cent strike rate over the 1m 4f trip of this, having won three of his eights starts.
So, taking everything into account, it is Stellar Mass and not Yucatan that looks the most likely one to take advantage if Eziyra fails to live up to expectations, because of that course and distance form.Yucatan bidding for more O’Brien gloryBallydoyle handler Aidan O’Brien has won four of the last five renewals of Ballyroan and Yucatan is his sole representative this time around. This four-year-old resumed winning ways last time out and also looks a player if coping with the step back up in trip.
That victory came in the aforementioned Volvo International Stakes over 1m 2f where, after taking up the running early doors, the son of Galileo stayed on strongly up the home straight to fend off the challenge of Stellar Mass by a length.
It was a gutsy effort, but the fact that Yucatan did wander under pressure inside the final furlong suggested he may not be totally straightforward. It also raised doubts about whether he would be as effective stepping back up to the 1m 4f trip of this as he was beaten out of sight on his sole start over it in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom.
Yucatan is also now worse off at the weights with Stellar Mass and on official ratings faces a stiff task to confirm the form. So, despite powerful connections, he has to be third-choice in our 2018 Ballyroan Stakes betting tips – and that is no good as regards each-way betting as with only four going to post it is win only.Your Next Bet
