Cairo wins at short odds in Irish qualifier for Kentucky Derby

Cairo, an Irish-bred Quality Road colt trained by Aidan O’Brien, moved to the fore of the European-based hopefuls for the Kentucky Derby with a two-length win in his 3-year-old debut in Friday’s $42,300 Patton Stakes at a mile on the all-weather surface at Dundalk Racecourse in Ireland.

Cairo earned 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with the win. One berth in the Kentucky Derby is available to the runner with the most qualifying points from the European series.

The Patton Stakes was the fifth of seven races in the European qualifying series. None of the runners from the four qualifying races held last year were among the eight runners in the Patton Stakes.

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Cairo, owned by the Coolmore syndicate, is nominated to the American Triple Crown as well as the English and Irish 2000 Guineas and the Irish Derby.

In the Patton Stakes, Cairo ($2.20 in American pools) disputed the pace with the longshot Ti Amo Sempre. Ridden by Ryan Moore, Cairo took the lead with a quarter-mile remaining and repelled a challenge from 6-1 News at Ten to win comfortably.

Stormy Entry, also a Triple Crown, nominee, finished third, beaten 3 1/4 lengths in his stakes debut. A Kentucky-bred by Point of Entry, Stormy Entry (9-1) was well placed early in the Patton Stakes, but was not a threat in the final furlong.

A winner of 3 of 5 starts, Cairo won the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at seven furlongs on turf at Leopardstown Racecourse last October. Cairo was pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland last October, but was not entered.

Cairo was second in the Star Appeal Stakes at seven furlongs at Dundalk last September in his only previous outing on the all-weather surface before the Patton Stakes.

The European qualifying series continues with one-mile races on all-weather surfaces in Britain at Kempton Park on March 15 and Chelmsford City on April 1. Those races offer 20-8-6-4-2 points to the first five finishers.

O’Brien won the Patton Stakes in March 2018 with Mendelssohn, who later that month won the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, a race that is part of the main qualifying series for the Kentucky Derby.

Mendelssohn, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar in 2017, was last of 20 in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. He was later second in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in 2018.

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