Endorsement routs Leopardstown rivals, boosts Derby hopes for Braddock, Bonnard

Endorsement did more than win at Leopardstown. His seven-length demolition in the Listed King George V Cup on June 4 turned last month’s Derby Trial into one of the most important pieces of form in the Epsom picture, because the colt he beat so easily had already finished third behind James J Braddock and Pierre Bonnard in the same arena.

Sent off the 1/4 favorite under Ryan Moore, the Wootton Bassett colt rolled straight to the front at the Foxrock track and never let the race become a contest. On ground that was soft and then shifted to soft to heavy after Race 6, he kept finding through the final furlong and drew clear of stablemate Amadeus Mozart, a result that did not just enhance his own profile, it sharpened the value of the line through Braddock and Bonnard.

That earlier reference point came in the Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes on May 10, a Group 3 over 10 furlongs with only five runners but plenty of Derby relevance. James J Braddock swooped late to deny Pierre Bonnard, while Endorsement, who had made the running, faded into third. Once Endorsement came back and bossed a Leopardstown Listed race by seven lengths, that trial looked a lot less like a one-off surprise and a lot more like a genuine test of Derby credentials.

The market noticed. After his Derby Trial win, James J Braddock was trimmed to 25-1 for the Derby at Epsom, while Pierre Bonnard drifted to 14-1. That move made sense when viewed through Endorsement’s surge, because Braddock had now beaten a colt who returned to win in ruthless fashion, and Bonnard had finished in the same tight bunch behind a horse who can now claim a major form upgrade.

There is still another layer here: Aidan O’Brien said Endorsement could even be considered for the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, so he is not locked into a Derby-only route. But the bigger consequence is clearer now. Leopardstown’s Derby trial was not just a spring prep, it was a live comparison exam, and Endorsement’s romp gave Braddock and Bonnard a much sturdier credential than the bare race result suggested at the time.