BROOME is an intriguing case study. A smart two-year-old, he has now won two recognised Derby trials – the Ballysax at Leopardstown and the Derrinstown Stud there on Sunday – by decisive margins but managed to temper enthusiasm for his prospects at Epsom in the latter if not the former.

As mentioned on these pages previously, Broome strides slowly, like a stayer, and was helped by an overly strong pace and soft ground in the Ballysax. He got merely a good pace this time, and just good to soft going, and he made heavy weather of things for a while before beating the 33/1 shot Blenheim Palace by two and a half lengths.

He gets a 112 timefigure this time, and ran closest to par of the principals, compared to a 118 (revised slightly) in the Ballysax. A strong pace at Epsom seems likely, and a longer trip is certain, but unless it turns up soft I suspect there will be a few too fast for the son of Australia.

WELL-RUN

Both Hamariyna in the Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial and Hazapour in the Amethyst Stakes won well-run mile races earlier on the card, with the latter slightly quicker than par early on. Hazapour was 0.87s faster overall and has been credited with a 112 overall timefigure (114 on sectionals) compared to the filly’s 99 (100).

Tarnawa, in the same Aga Khan colours, landed the Blue Wind Stakes at Naas the day before by a neck from Who’s Steph and did Pink Dogwood’s form at Navan the time before no harm in the process of running a 97 timefigure in a slightly muddling race. Lethal Promise at Cork on Friday ran a 99 timefigure to win the Listed Polonia Stakes over the little used distance of five and a half furlongs.