Ballydoyle big guns and Belardo brother to make debuts on Thursday

Leopardstown's evening card on Thursday features a pair of Pattern races for two-year-olds, with Group 2 runner-up Precious Moments – a Gleneagles half-sister to Royal Ascot winners Big Audio and Sword Fighter – looking to shed her maiden tag in the Silver Flash Stakes (6.55) and Ballydoyle's winning Galileo colts Armory and Toronto set to line up for the Tyros Stakes (7.30).

Before those feature races, though, some more potentially high-class juveniles are set to have the wraps taken off them in the Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden over a mile (6.20). For a taster of the calibre of horse we might see emerge from the contest, look to the 2011 renewal, in which the great Camelot made a winning debut.

Thursday's card at Leopardstown

Camelot's trainer Aidan O'Brien has three colts engaged this time around and all have striking claims on pedigree.

Cabot Hills is by first-season sire Gleneagles – already on the mark with two stakes winners in Royal Lytham and Southern Hills – out of O'Brien's brilliant racemare Peeping Fawn, who finished third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, second in the Oaks and then won the Pretty Polly Stakes, Irish Oaks, Nassau Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks.

Peeping Fawn, a Danehill half-sister to Thewayyouare, is dam of four winners including September, successful in the Chesham Stakes and just touched off into second in the Fillies' Mile, and Coventry Stakes third Sir John Hawkins.

Seamie Heffernan takes the ride on Coolmore homebred Cabot Hills.

Cormorant on his way to being knocked down for 1,050,000gns as a yearlingCredit: Laura Green

Cormorant, the mount of Donnacha O'Brien, is a grey son of superstar sophomore sire Kingman out of the Dansili mare Shemya, a middle-distance winner in France and a granddaughter of Prix de Diane heroine Shemaka.

We can construe that this colt, bred by Michael Wates, possesses exceptional looks as he was bought by Coolmore's MV Magnier for 1,050,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year, completing a stunning pinhook success for Michael Fitzpatrick, who had bought him as a foal for 135,000gns.

Ryan Moore has chosen to partner the third Ballydoyle newcomer, Yankee Stadium. The colt is owned in partnership by Coolmore and Moyglare Stud and was bred by the latter operation by sending the dual US Grade 1 winner Switch to the venerable Galileo.

A daughter of Quiet American, Switch enjoyed her finest moments when winning the La Brea Stakes and Santa Monica Stakes, both top-level events over seven furlongs at Santa Anita, in the winter of 2010/11. At the end of her career she was added to the Moyglare Stud broodmare band for a cool $4.3 million.

Moyglare Stud has another debutant in the race, to be saddled by its regular trainer Dermot Weld rather than O'Brien, in Dark Pine.

That colt is by Ballyhane Stud flagbearer Dandy Man out of Suitably Discreet, an unraced daughter of Mr Prospector and Canadian champion Alywow, making him a half-brother to Grade 2 scorer Speaking Of Which and Beresford Stakes runner-up Capital Exposure.

Look to the Sky

Another newcomer to note on Thursday comes at Doncaster.

Sky Vega, a €600,000 Arqana August Yearling Sale purchase, is set to have his first run in the Trent Refractories Novice Stakes over seven furlongs on Town Moor (6.15).

The Richard Hannon-trained two-year-old owes his huge price-tag to the fact he is a Lope De Vega brother to champion two-year-old and subsequent Lockinge Stakes victor Belardo.

The pair were bred by Ballylinch Stud out of Lowther Stakes runner-up Danaskaya, a Danehill three-parts sister to multiple Listed winner Modeeroch.

Sky Vega will carry the colours of China Horse Club, who own the colt in partnership with Ballylinch.

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