Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to sweep the Guineas in England and in Ireland when Winter loped clear of her rivals in the 1,000 Guineas here on Sunday. Like her stablemate Churchill on Saturday, she was following up on an authoritative success in the Newmarket equivalent three weeks ago and, also like him, she is now an even-money
Tony Gwynn Authentic Jersey favourite for a Royal Ascot race next month – in her case, the Coronation Stakes. O’Brien has enjoyed so many such victories that even dedicated racing fans can hardly be expected to be thrilled by each one, especially when he wins yet another Irish Classic and when the winner is unbackably short, as Winter was at odds of 8-13. But the significance of this particular achievement should not be missed. The Irish Guineas have been staged for almost 100 years. In all that time, no trainer has ever managed to win both of them and both of the English Guineas in the same year; not Vincent O’Brien, not Sir Henry Cecil, not Sir Michael Stoute or Harry Wragg or Paddy Prendergast. While O’Brien is certainly provided with excellent material by his Coolmore employers, it would be rash in the extreme to imagine many other trainers would do just as well in the same situation. In the case of Winter, this is a horse who won only once from three starts for a different trainer last year. She is now only the third filly to complete the Newmarket/Curragh double. As ever, O’Brien responded to compliments and congratulations by praising the many folk at his Ballydoyle stable who contribute to each horse’s continued health and wellbeing. It fell to Ryan Moore, the winning jockey in both of this weekend’s Classics, to attempt an assessment of O’Brien’s merit. “Aidan is an absolute pleasure for
http://www.authenticsandiegopadres.com/Trevor-Cahill-Jersey me to work with,” Moore said. “From the first time I rode for him, he’s just made it very easy for me. These horses, he turns them out magnificently every time, they continually hold their form so well, right through the year, and the way he gets horses back, they recover from their races, they always look so well. He’s got a great feel for a horse, he sees things from a different direction. They’re prepared so meticulously. He’s very special.” Racing news and tips: Churchill adds Irish 2,000 Guineas to victory roll call Read more The big question now is whether this team can sustain their fine form as far as next weekend, for the Oaks and the Derby at Epsom. Moore said no discussions had yet taken place about which of O’Brien’s six Derby entrants he will ride but it will be a major surprise if he does not end up on the well-fancied Cliffs Of Moher and indeed the vibes from Ballydoyle, such as they are, point in that direction. Perhaps when Moore is confirmed for the ride on Thursday, it will push Cliffs Of Moher past Cracksman at the top of the Derby betting. It seems the question of which is O’Brien’s next best chance is more up in the air, with Venice Beach the obvious one but Capri apparently still in the discussion. For his part, O’Brien would say no more than that he had “six very strong possibles” for the Derby, as well as “two very strong possibles”, Rhododendron and Alluringly, for the Oaks. Highland Reel and Idaho will run for him in the Coronation Cup but US Army Ranger will
Adidas Jack Eichel Youth Jersey probably be found a different target. Advertisement Meanwhile, O’Brien’s mentor in years gone by, Jim Bolger, was evidently furious about interference suffered by his Bean Feasa during the 1,000 Guineas. She was squeezed against the inside rail in a concertina effect caused by Pat Smullen on Rehana. Both horses finished unplaced and Smullen got a one-day ban. “It was very obviously dangerous riding … disgraceful riding,” Bolger said. “The filly is fine but it could have been otherwise. There’s no excuse for that sort of carry-on.” The other Group One on this card, the Tattersalls Gold Cup, was won by the Wiltshire-based Roger Charlton with Decorated Knight. Charlton once said that having any runner at The Curragh felt like entering the lion’s den, an oblique reference to O’Brien’s domination here, but the Englishman has now won this race three times in five years. Charlton thinks of Decorated Knight as a horse who really prefers a sound surface, so he was less than delighted, while at Goodwood on Saturday, to find his phone buzzing with a steady stream of pictures showing the effects of an inch of rain in Kildare. But the track took it well and was probably no worse than good to soft on this day. There is also a feeling that Decorated Knight, the winner of five of his last seven starts, has been underestimated. But he has done enough to earn a stallion’s career now, so there is no need for Charlton to scout around for winnable Group Ones in the US or elsewhere. The horse’s next target is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. “He just keeps on improving,” Charlton said. “If Minding had turned up, it would have been a different
http://www.authenticbuffalosabres.com/authentic-jake-mccabe-jersey story but he won with his ears pricked, he was pulling up in front and then Somehow came to him and he picked up again. You can’t do more than that.” It is to be hoped Decorated Knight has a happier season than last year, when he was sidelined from July by a long cut to a foreleg sustained in a freak accident while stabled at Chicago for the Arlington Million. Some time after 4am, he got out of his box and had free run of the Arlington barn, possibly injuring himself by tripping over a metal fan. Security staff were in the area but could not work out how the horse came to be loose
