BOLSHOI Ballet struck for Ballydoyle at Saratoga last Saturday when running out a wide-margin winner of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer. In doing so, the son of Galileo achieved a Beyer Speed Figure of 107, which is the highest recorded by any horse on turf in North America this year.

It was a second top-level win in the US for the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, following his Belmont Derby success two years ago. He has now earned an automatic starting berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November but, before that, Bolshoi Ballet is expected to return to New York for the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 30th at Aqueduct.

Bolshoi Ballet appears to have a preference for fast ground, so there might have been a doubt about how he would fare on the yielding surface at Saratoga last weekend. As it turned out, the five-year-old travelled supremely well under Johnny Velazquez. They were always close to the pace before hitting the front a furlong and a half out and quickening clear to win by over four lengths. He was chased home by Soldier Rising, who himself was five lengths clear of the remainder. Further back came the favourite Stone Age, a former stable companion of the winner and, like him, a Leopardstown Derby Trial winner.

“He was good, wasn’t he? I fancied him coming out here - he looked well,” said T.J. Comerford, travelling head lad for O’Brien. “He just ran clear. I think he would be even better on a bit better ground.”

Bolshoi Ballet has now won $1.3 million in prize money and could be in line for a share of the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf prize, a race won by the likes of Kalanisi and Shirocco in the past. Previous horses to capture the Sword Dancer and Breeders’ Cup Turf in the same year are Theatrical in 1987, Fraise (1992), Better Talk Now (2004) and Main Sequence (2014).

“We had a great trip,” Velazquez reported. “The trainer told me to come out of the gate running, get him as close as you can, but give him a little break for the first half of the race. After there, the last half of the race, make sure I keep him busy. That’s the way it worked out.

“Aidan told me, ‘He’s going to be lazy, so you are going to have to ride him, he doesn’t give you anything, so make sure you keep him busy.’ (In the stretch) he was gone.”