Racing News round-up Balestrini entered the Ballysax Stakes winner's enclosure at Leopardstown yesterday to a soundtrack of torn up Derby vouchers.

Running as a pacemaker for the Epsom gamble Alberto Giacometti, the 2.1 million purchase did his job so well that he managed to hold off Alamshar while his stable companion floundered five lengths back in third.

"What can I say?" asked Aidan O'Brien. "It will be interesting to see what happens the next day when Alberto Giacometti is fitter. But that's racing."

It was hard not to sympathise.

The Group Three Ballysax has been a kick-off race for O'Brien's last two Derby winners, but this time the script went out the window from the start.

Ballestrini was almost 15 lengths clear of Alberto Giacometti after a couple of furlongs and by the turn-in only five of those had been clawed back.

"Mick said they didn't follow the pacemaker from the start and John (Murtagh) used us as a pacemaker. Balestrini got away a little bit and Alberto got tired at the furlong pole," explained O'Brien.

The bookmakers weren't too interested in excuses, however, and Cashmans put Alberto Giacometti right out to 20 to 1 from 6 to 1 for Epsom.

Instead it was Alamshar who exercised their minds and his Derby price was halved to 7 to 1 second favourite.

"It was a bit of a farce," said John Oxx. "We decided to follow Mick and the other horse got away. But our one seemed to run a really good race and that's what we wanted."

Oxx will probably aim Alamshar at the Derrinstown Derby Trial, and his mood could only have been helped by the memory of Sinndar's improvement after a Ballysax defeat three years ago.

Balestrini, on whom one optimistic punter had a pound at 300 to 1 on the Internet exchanges, could also go to the Derrinstown, but waiting there may be the trump card to emerge from yesterday's trials.

Refuse To Bend kept his unbeaten record in the 2,000 Guineas Trial, yet Dermot Weld appeared afterwards to be leaning towards a Derby campaign.

"We will make a decision midweek, but my view is that he is probably more a Derby horse than a Guineas type. He did that well, but we are trying to pick the right route for him," said Weld.

Jockey Pat Smullen reported that the National Stakes winner idled once in front, but Refuse To Bend had to concede 7lb to the runner-up Good Day Too and still won by half a length.

"He is never going to be a horse that quickens up and wins by 10 lengths. But you would have to be pleased with that," said Smullen.

Refuse To Bend remains an 8 to 1 shot for Epsom and the Derrinstown will be the target if the Guineas is missed out.

Weld also picked up the 1,000 Guineas Trial with Dimitrova, who looks set to go next in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, but he was out of luck with the highly rated Former Senator in the 10-furlong maiden.

Instead it was the Oxx-trained Cruzspiel who came out on top in a tight, four-horse finish. Oxx had earlier picked up the seven furlong maiden with Darabela.

But Weld bit back in the last with Supreme Certainty's easy success in the mile handicap.