Sons And Lovers enters 2025 Melbourne Cup picture
Joseph O’Brien’s stayer Sons And Lovers has taken a significant leap towards a potential Spring Carnival tilt in Australia after capturing the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes (2414m) at Leopardstown on Thursday night (AEST).
The son of Study Of Man produced a gritty performance to defeat Crystal Black and Siege Of Troy, securing his place in the Melbourne Cup ballot and firming as a legitimate spring contender.
“Yeah, it absolutely could be,” O’Brien confirmed when asked if a Melbourne trip was now likely. “He meets the qualifications now being a Group winner. He had to get placed today to do that (qualify), and as well as Melbourne there’s a number of international races that would potentially suit him through the winter.”
Sons And Lovers is owned by the same syndicate that races Absurde, a proven Melbourne Cup competitor who ran seventh and fifth in the last two editions.
The Ballyroan Stakes has proven a fruitful path to Melbourne in the past, with notable names like Vinnie Roe and Vauban using it as a stepping stone.
Thursday’s win was Sons And Lovers’ second from 12 starts, adding to an impressive campaign that includes a fifth placing in the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot, and prior to that, strong performances in the Mooresbridge and Alleged Stakes – the latter behind Caulfield Cup entry Galen.
“He’s a nice horse and he’s had a couple of very good runs this year,” O’Brien said. “He ran very well at Ascot, the race didn’t set up perfectly firm and I think as he goes up and distance, we’ll see some more progression hopefully.”
Sons And Lovers is already among Caulfield Cup nominations and is expected to be included in the Melbourne Cup entries when they close on September 2.
Next on the radar is the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes (2414m) at Leopardstown on September 13, with O’Brien flagging it as a possible springboard for his campaign.
“We’ll see how he comes home from today, but my immediate thought would be to come back here Champions weekend for the mile-and-a-half, the Kilternan Stakes,” he said. “That would be a logical stepping stone from here, and then we could look at travelling after that.”
Punters eager to follow Sons And Lovers through the spring should check the latest markets and offers at Australia's top betting sites.
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