US Army Ranger ready to step up again

DERBY runner-up US Army Ranger returns to action at Leopardstown in the KPMG Enterprise Stakes.

The Chester Vase winner was favourite to provide Aidan O'Brien with his sixth victory in the Epsom showpiece at the start of June and while he ultimately came up just short, he ran an excellent race in defeat behind the Dermot Weld-trained Harzand.

The latter has since completed the English-Irish Derby double and stars in the Irish Champion Stakes on the same card, while US Army Ranger has enjoyed a midsummer break and is looking to build on his comeback fourth in the Royal Whip at the Curragh last month.

O'Brien said: "It was probably a little bit unfair to ask him to run in the Derby. He went to Epsom and was a little bit raw and green.

"He did make serious progression from his first run to his second run. He learnt a lot in Chester and ran a great race in Epsom.

"He's a very good colt and we were happy with his comeback run.

"He'd had a good break, it got a bit messy coming off the bend but he still ran a very good race."

Among the four rivals taking on US Army Ranger is the Jim Bolger-trained Stellar Mass, who was third to Harzand in the Irish Derby and is on a hat-trick after wins at Down Royal and, most recently, at this track.

Bolger told At The Races: "He's in really good form. I'm looking forward to it and he won't be too far away.

"Next year he'll definitely be a Group One horse."

O'Brien also runs last year's Ladbrokes St Leger runner-up Bondi Beach, who was third to Stellar Mass in the Ballyroan Stakes when attempting to give him a stone, and Tree Of Knowledge.

Progressive filly Zhukova represents Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen.