Deepone potentially a Derby horse for Twomey

Deepone bagged his third career success in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes over a mile in the Curragh.

He raced prominently from the gates and moved into a narrow lead from Chief Little Rock after a furlong. The Study Of Man colt increased his lead after three furlongs and was on good terms with himself as he moved further clear near the two pole.

The jockeys aboard his rivals started to get busy in the saddle as Deepone stormed towards the final furlong.

He was ridden in the final 100 yards by Billy Lee to keep the revs up and rolled home by a comfortable, if reduced margin, of a length and three-quarters at 3/1. Chief Little Rock picked up the runner-up prize at 11/2.

Deepone landed his first two races at Leopardstown and Killarney and was also second in Listed class at Tipperary before a recent fourth in a Group 2 at Foxrock.

Paddy Twomey said: “He's a nice horse, he's been a work in progress and we've been educating him.

“I felt he had come out of the last race in great form. I said to Billy that I was going to run him again and he kind of looked at me, but I said I felt he was in good form.

“He's a strong traveller and he finds plenty, I think he's a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse next year.

“Hopefully for Vimal (Khosla, owner) he's a Derby horse for next year and that'll be it for this year now.

“I've been dropping him in on turning tracks and there was plenty of traffic etc. I said to Billy no nonsense today, out there and let's go and see if they are good enough.

“He put them to the sword and I think he's a good horse.”

Paddy Power shortened Deepone from 33/1 to 20/1 for the 2,000 Guineas.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson