'His turn of foot is unbelievable' - excitement building for syndicate who own Irish-trained Melbourne Cup favourite

The Wear A Pink Ribbon syndicate is gearing up for a trip to Australia this autumn with the rapidly improving Crystal Black, who shot to Melbourne Cup favouritism when romping home by five lengths in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown last Thursday.

The six-year-old, who is trained by Ger Keane and ridden by his son Colin, is becoming one of the stories of the season after landing his last five starts, his official rating rising from 94 in April to 111, with a further hike expected when his Ballyroan victory is taken into account.

There were jubilant scenes in the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot when Keane steered the son of Teofilo to a commanding success in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes in June, and the syndicate is now set to travel to Melbourne for the Lexus Melbourne Cup on November 1.