There may well have been a Classic winner lurking in the Ballysax - but it wasn't the winner or beaten favourite

Leopardstown’s Ballysax Stakes has long served as a trusted pointer to Epsom glory, yet the 2024 running has muddied rather than clarified the Derby picture for Aidan O’Brien. Christmas Day, a Camelot colt, quickened clear of long-time leader Endorsement to claim the Classic trial, but the market’s principal hope, Pierre Bonnard, trailed in last of the Ballydoyle quartet and was immediately eased in the Derby betting.

O’Brien, who last year watched Delacroix defeat dual-Derby hero Lambourn in the same race, had earmarked Pierre Bonnard as a leading contender after the colt comfortably accounted for Endorsement on his juvenile finale. That form was turned on its head on Saturday, leaving connections to question whether the bay colt was below peak condition or simply unsuited by the strip of ground he was given.

Observers noted that the centre of the Leopardstown circuit appeared to ride slower than the stands’ side, offering a partial alibi for Pierre Bonnard’s lifeless effort. Even so, the performance was so far removed from his previous standard that punters and pundits alike have been urged to treat the result with caution when reassessing the Epsom pecking order.

Christmas Day’s success, meanwhile, was visually impressive. The front-running Endorsement set a searching gallop, yet the winner maintained a relentless rhythm before pulling away inside the final furlong. Whether that effort translates to the unique demands of the Derby remains open, but for now the colt has earned the right to dream of a trip to Epsom next month.

With the Ballysax failing to illuminate a clear Classic favourite, the search for a legitimate Derby contender shifts elsewhere, leaving the tantalising possibility that the real star of the race may have been one of the unheralded runners who finished outside the first two.