Eziyra out to kickstart big autumn campaign in Ballyroan Stakes

8.05 Leopardstown
GRENKE Finance Ballyroan Stakes (Group 3) | 3yo and up| 1m4f | ATR

Eziyra, a three-time winner at Group 3 level and third in last year's Darley Irish Oaks, starts off her season in this four-runner event before being aimed at an autumn campaign.

Her trainer Dermot Weld said on Wednesday: "It was always the plan to start Eziyra off around this time of year. She has plenty of big-race entries and we're looking to having her back on track.

"She's been coming forward nicely and I expect her to run a good race and to progress from it."

The Aga Khan-owned filly, who is entered in the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks and Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, has not run since landing the Enterprise Stakes over course and distance on Irish Champions weekend in September.

Her rivals include Yucatan, who won for the first time in almost two years when landing the Group 3 International Stakes over 1m2f at the Curragh last month when tried in blinkers for the first time.

Watch Yucatan win the International Stakes

Donnacha O'Brien's mount is similarly equipped for this contest and the four-year-old's trainer Aidan O'Brien said: "Yucatan can be a bit lazy and the blinkers seemed to help him last time. He's a good mover who likes fast ground."

Beaten a length by Yucatan on his first run of the season was Stellar Mass, who tries to repeat his win in this race of two years ago, Jim Bolger's five-year-old having been third 12 months ago.

Completing the field is The King, the only three-year-old in the line-up and representing Jessica Harrington, who said: "The King is in good form. Although there are only a few runners it looks a tidy race and we're hoping for the best in what will be our horse's first run over the trip."

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