Ol' Man River brings big reputation to Beresford

Ol’ Man River, a hyped Aidan O’Brien-trained 2-year-old, tries stakes competition for the first time on Sunday at the Curragh in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes.

Ol’ Man River beat 17 rivals winning a one-mile Curragh maiden race in his debut. By Montjeu out of the top racemare Finsceal Beo, Ol’ Man River is owned by Coolmore connections and already had a reputation before he ever started, having been purchased as a yearling for $2,850,000 Euros, about $3.6 million using current conversion rates.

The Beresford, a one-mile race won in the recent past by such luminaries as Sea the Stars and St Nicholas Abbey, drew eight final entrants, among them Tombelaine, second to the promising O’Brien-trained John F. Kennedy in his most recent start.

* Favored Lucida ran out a convincing winner of the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Friday at Newmarket in England. Trained by Jim Bolger for Godolphin, Lucida earned an automatic fees-paid berth and travel expenses to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies since the Rockfel was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In race, but Bolger very rarely runs horses in North America.