Crystal Black firmly in Melbourne Cup picture after Ballyroan triumph

Royal Ascot winner picks up Group Three honours with ease at Leopardstown.

Crystal Black swept from last to first to continue his tremendous progression with victory in the Xin Gin Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown.

Trained by Ger Keane and ridden by his champion jockey son, Colin, the six-year-old – who started his winning streak off a mark of just 77 – landed the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot and has now added a Group Three prize to his burgeoning CV.

Keane eased the 11-10 favourite down the outside in the mile-and-a-half feature, readily picking up market rival The Euphrates and going clear for a five-length success over Aidan O’Brien’s runner.

In doing so, Crystal Black kept dreams of the Melbourne Cup very much alive, possibly with a new ownership interest.

Keane senior said: “There is a bit of interest from Australia in him and there are negotiations going on that he might go for the Melbourne Cup. The lads want to hold on to half of him, but we’ll know more in the next few days.

“If he was in the first three today that deal was on the table.”

He added: “It’s a kind of a fairytale really. He just keeps improving and improving.

“He had issues when we got him first with allergies and this year has just been amazing. You are always afraid that you are one run away from going over the top.”

O’Brien’s Ylang Ylang failed to make an impression behind Mutasarref in the Bahrain Turf Club Desmond Stakes.

Sent off the 11-8 favourite for the Oaks at Epsom, she finished only sixth and picked up a problem which had kept her off the track since.

O’Brien had warned she would not be fully tune up and so it proved, with Ger Lyons’ six-year-old Mutasarref winning for the ninth time.

Lyons said: “He’s some horse and you don’t expect him to be winning with the penalties. He’s a nice horse around a bend.

“We were a bit disappointed with him at the Curragh, but I don’t think he’s ever run his best at the Curragh in a straight.

“His plan is to come back here for the Group Two on Champions Weekend, which is beyond him as we know, but it’s another day out.”

Amo Racing’s expensive purchase Hill Road made the perfect start to his career in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C&G) Maiden.

Kia Joorabchian’s operation paid $350,000 for the son of Quality Road and while he has some way to go to repay that sum, his entry in the Group One Vincent O’Brien National Stakes does not look fanciful after this five-length success under David Egan.

Trainer Adrian Murray said: “We’ve always held this lad in good regard.

“We had him ready early in the year and he won a barrier trial in Naas.

“We backed off him as we wanted to give him time to strengthen up and to mature and he’s all there now.

“We’ll probably come back here for the Group Two over a mile on Champions Weekend.

“He’s a very laid-back horse and takes a bit of revving up. It’s a good sign in a horse.”

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