Bolshoi Ballet and Santa Barbara deliver Aidan O’Brien £665,000 big-race double in New York

BOLSHOI Ballet and Santa Barbara earned Aidan O’Brien a huge £665,000 double at Belmont Park on Saturday night.

On the day that the great Galileo passed away aged 23, his son Bolshoi Ballet stormed home from off the pace to win the Belmont Derby in New York.

Bolshoi Ballet got his career back on track in the USA on Saturday night

And 66 minutes earlier, stablemate Santa Barbara snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to win the Belmont Oaks.

It was a welcome boost for the O’Brien yard and Coolmore, who were mourning the loss of racing great Galileo on Saturday.

But both wins were hard-earned, as Bolshoi Ballet, who was sent off the hot favourite for the Derby at Epsom last month only to fluff his lines, took a while to hit top stride in the closing stages of the big Grade 1, eventually winning by a length and a half.

And Santa Barbara was briefly trapped behind a wall of horses before she was able to sneak through a gap for a last-gasp win.

Both horses were ridden by Ryan Moore, who said of Bolshoi Ballet: “He won comfortably without being able to show how good he is.

“He’s the most beautiful horse you’ll see. He’s a real athlete, a class horse.

“With a furlong to run, you could see he was just waiting, having a look and his ears were going. He’s still getting used to knowing what he has to do.

“We think there’s more to come. Potentially, I suppose he could be a Breeders’ Cup Turf horse.”

Those sentiments were echoed by record-breaking trainer O’Brien.

He said: “We were delighted with Bolshoi Ballet, especially on the day that it was. We were very happy with him. It was a mile and a quarter on nice ground and, for his first time racing in America, he did it very well. He won nicely.

“Where we go next, we’re not sure. He’s a very good mover so I think nice ground suits him. He’s very comfortable at a mile and a quarter.

“He had a break after the Derby and really he was only just ready to start back, so I imagine we’ll see how he comes out of it and then pick a race for him.”

Of Santa Barbara, O’Brien added: “Santa Barbara has a lot of speed. I suppose we always wondered how far she’d stay because she’s very quick and you could see that at Belmont. She quickened up off what was a very slow pace and was impressive.

“Distance-wise, we could stay around a mile and a furlong or a mile and a quarter because she has a lot of speed.

“She has an option of going back to America later in the year, as does Bolshoi Ballet, but we could pick a race for them in between first.”

Paddy Power trimmed Santa Barbara into 6-1 from 7s for the Nassau Stakes, while they left Bolshoi Ballet unchanged at 16-1 for the Juddmonte International.

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