Beamish aiming to maintain unblemished record in Ballyroan

Paddy Twomey’s runner switches up to Group Three level at Leopardstown.

Beamish puts his unbeaten record on the line Grant Thornton Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown on Thursday.

Impressive in winning on his racecourse debut at the Foxrock venue last summer, the Teofilo colt doubled his tally on his return from 11 months off the track at Killarney in May.

And having completed his hat-trick by successfully graduating to Listed class in the Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon on his latest appearance, trainer Paddy Twomey steps him up to Group Three level.

He said: “He’s a nice horse with a progressive profile and hopefully he can continue in that vein.

“He got his first rating after his last run of 107, so he’s obliged to progress now.”

Beamish is one of nine horses declared for the mile-and-a-half contest, with Noel Meade’s Layfayette the highest-rated runner.

The five-year-old has already won the Listed Devoy Stakes, the Group Three Alleged Stakes and the Group Two Mooresbridge Stakes this season and was last seen finishing fifth in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot.

Lafayette winning the Devoy Stakes at Naas
Lafayette winning the Devoy Stakes at Naas (Brian Lawless/PA)

That defeat came over 12 furlongs and while he has done most of his winning over 10 furlongs, Meade rolls the dice once more over the longer trip due to a lack of opportunities.

“He is in good form, but it is hard to find a race that suits, so we decided to have a go at this,” said the Tu Va handler.

“I don’t know if going a mile and a half again is really ideal, but it does look like he’ll have an ease in the ground and that’s a big help.

“Ascot was a bit quick for him. The race was good too, but it looked quick for him.

“He has been brilliant this year for us, but there is a bit of doubt now about going into a mile and a half again. I always thought he would be better stepping up, but he didn’t seem to get home in Ascot.

“Maybe that was the ground, so we just thought we’d try it again.”

Chester Cup winner Cleveland makes his first start for Joseph O’Brien after switching from father Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard and is joined by stablemate Gear Up.

Dermot Weld’s pair of Falcon Eight and Duke De Sessa, the Ger Lyons-trained Licence, Jessica Harrington’s Sandhurst and Manu Et Corde from Jim Bolger’s yard complete the field.

Follow us on Twitter racing365dotcom and like our Facebook page.

Latest