Tag: Aidan O’Brien

Ryan Moore: “I Think We’ll See A Better Version Of Luxembourg On Saturday”

Ryan Moore has admitted that G1 French Derby and G1 Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) sets the standard in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Saturday but warned that Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) should not be underestimated in the feature race of Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Luxembourg got his season off to a promising start when third in the G1 2000 Guineas, but suffered a setback in the build-up to the Derby. He won in workmanlike fashion on his return from a 105-day absence in a Curragh Group 3 last month, but Moore is predicting a world of improvement from that effort on Saturday at Leopardstown.

Speaking on a Zoom call organised by Horse Racing Ireland on Tuesday morning, Moore said, “It obviously hasn't been a straightforward year for him. He had a lovely 2-year-old career and ran a big race in the 2000 Guineas. Unfortunately, he wasn't right after that race.”

Moore has won the G1 Irish Champion S. three times–St Mark's Basilica (Fr) last year, Magical (Ire) in 2019 and The Grey Gatsby (Ire) in 2014–while Aidan O'Brien is the most successful trainer in the history of the race with 10 wins. The number one rider at Ballydoyle believes Luxembourg has what it takes to bolster that record on Saturday.

He said, “Luxembourg needed his run at the Curragh last month and he got the job done. We are hopeful that he'll come forward from that and a-mile-and-a-quarter around Leopardstown with a bit of rain around, I don't think that will be a problem.

“He obviously needs to improve on what he has done this year but I think we'll see a better version of Luxembourg on Saturday.

“It was his first run for a while and he still felt a bit raw [at the Curragh]. He picked up very well, he was a bit idle in front but, when the second horse came to me, he found plenty. It was a good starting point.”

Vadeni heads the market for Saturday's showpiece at odds of 6-4. Trained by Jean Claude-Rouget, who snared the Irish Champion S. with Almanzor (Fr) in 2016, Vadeni has gone from strength to strength this season, building on his French Derby win with a victory against the older horses in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown back in July. Moore admits that form is just about the best on show and respects the French raider.

He said, “He's obviously improved a lot since he stepped into the French Derby and then beat the older horses in the Eclipse. He's probably entitled to be favourite but maybe Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) was a bit unfortunate at Sandown. But Vadeni is still open to improvement and obviously Jean-Claude Rouget targets this race.”

Moore and O'Brien also have leading claims of landing the G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron S. at Leopardstown on Saturday with Tenebrism (Caravaggio). A Group 1 winner at two and three, Tenebrism is set to take on G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and multiple Group 1 winner Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}).

The rider said, “Tenebrism is still a 3-year-old filly, still getting better so I'm sure she'll run a good race. A mile around a bend might suit her better, that's what we'd be hoping. She was still a little bit green when she went to Ascot but the last day (when second to Saffron Beach at Deauville) didn't quite go as smoothly as I would have liked.”

Sunday revolves around G1 Gold Cup winner Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish St Leger while Moore can also look forward to Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and the unbeaten Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S.

He said, “Aesop's Fables is one I've always liked. He started off early at Navan, he won comfortably but unfortunately he had a minor setback and we couldn't get a run into him before the Futurity.

“I think the whole weekend is great racing, it's in a really nice place in the calendar. I'm lucky to be a part of it, hopefully it will get stronger.”

Moore added, “I'm very lucky to ride for Aidan. Aidan says it himself, it's the whole team at Coolmore and Ballydoyle that make the whole thing possible. It's the hard work of everyone involved in the operation that makes the success possible.

“They have great owners who put a lot of time, money and effort into it and it's a privilege to ride for them for quite a few years now. I'm very thankful for the opportunity they've given me.”

A cloud hangs over the Irish racing community following the death of Jack de Bromhead, the 13-year-old son of Henry and Heather de Bromhead, who was killed in a freak fall at Glenbeigh horse and pony races on Saturday.

Moore acknowledged that the de Bromhead family will be in everyone's thoughts on Irish Champions Weekend and offered his condolences to all concerned.

He said, “It's the most terrible news. I am struggling to get my head around it to be honest. There are no good words to describe what Henry, Heather and Jack's siblings must be going through. I can only just send them my best. It doesn't get any worse than what they must be going through.”

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‘It’s Been An Incredible Year’ – Coolmore Laud No Nay Never

We've all seen that video; it was in the month of March when Aidan O'Brien opened the gates at Ballydoyle to the Irish press and, tasked with naming his best 2-year-old by Brendan O'Rourke, the champion trainer did not hold back in his praise for Little Big Bear (Ire).

After nominating Little Big Bear as being top of the class, O'Brien also advised O'Rourke, a renowned Irish racing commentator, to double his stake from a fiver to a tenner on the colt winning his maiden on debut at the Curragh the following weekend.

Although Little Big Bear found one too good on that occasion, all has since been forgiven in the O'Rourke household, with the colt winning each of his next four starts, including a seven-length tonking of his G1 Phoenix S. rivals at the Curragh last month.

Little Big Bear may well be the poster boy for the Ballydoyle-trained juveniles this season, but Blackbeard (Ire), Aesop's Fables (Ire) and Meditate (Ire) have all confirmed themselves as top-notch prospects for one of the most powerful stables in the world.

And what do they all have in common apart from the fact that they are all trained by the master of Ballydoyle? That they are also by the sire of the moment, No Nay Never.

 

Coolmore's Mark Byrne said, “I had to laugh, that video resurfaced on Twitter again. 'What's his name, Chris [Armstrong, O'Brien's racing secretary at Ballydoyle]?' 'Little Big Bear, Aidan.'

“I don't think anyone could have imagined what would have happened after that. It's been an incredible year for No Nay Never. He has the ante-post favourite for the 1000 and 2000 Guineas already.”

An incredible year, indeed. Little Big Bear is likely to miss the G1 National S. at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend, but the hope is that he will run again this season, while fellow Group 1 winner Blackbeard, successful in the Prix Morny at Deauville when last seen, will continue to fly the flag for the stable and the stallion.

Byrne said, “Hopefully we'll see Little Big Bear back by the end of the year, Aesop's Fables could be anything, Blackbeard won the Prix Morny just like his father and his great grandfather [Johannesburg] and then you have Meditate as well. And they are just the Ballydoyle-trained No Nay Nevers I am talking about.

“It is an incredible feat for No Nay Never. He got off to a great start with Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Alcohol Free (Ire), who is still running at the top level, but it's been a pleasure to see the standard of the mare that he has covered on the rise season after season. It's incredible to think that there could be even better to come.”

He added, “No Nay Never has sired the winner of 12 2-year-old stakes races in Europe already this season. That's remarkable. He's also sired [the winners of] both of the Group 1 2-year-old races in Europe this season as well. It's hard to knock him from any angle, really.

“Everyone is looking ahead towards the last Group 1 races of the Flat season for 2-year-olds and then all roads lead to the Guineas. It's conceivable that he could have two or three of ante-post favourites for the 2000 Guineas and possibly likewise for the 1000 Guineas by the end of the season.”

If there is one question mark hovering over No Nay Never, it may be whether or not his brilliant batch of 2-year-olds will stay the Guineas trip next term. However, Byrne thinks Little Big Bear and Aesop's Fables have emphatically enhanced their claims for Classic glory with their respective performances this season.

He said, “When Little Big Bear won the Phoenix S., there were three of them in a line a furlong and a half from home, and he went on to win by seven lengths. How could you say that he wouldn't get the mile on that performance?

“Aesop's Fables returned from 119 days off the track to win the G2 Futurity S. at the Curragh and he only really got going inside the last couple of furlongs that day. I'd have no doubt that they'd get at least a mile and there's still some lovely types out of Galileo (Ire) mares that we have here [at Coolmore] that will definitely get the mile and beyond in time. I have no fear about that whatsoever. As well as that, Meditate was doing her best work late on to win the Debutante quite comfortably, so it's a hugely exciting time.”

It's not just No Nay Never that everyone in Coolmore is thankful for. On that Scat Daddy line, Justify has emerged as a force to be reckoned with and Byrne thinks that the US Triple Crown winner can develop into a top-class stallion in his own right.

He said, “He has got off to a mind-bogglingly good start at stud. It might sound crazy, but you could compare him to Gun Runner in America, even at this very early stage. He actually has four stakes winners in America already, which is more than Gun Runner had at the same stage of his stud career, and interestingly, of those four stakes winners, two have been on turf and the other two on dirt, so he has versatility as well.

“To think that Justify has achieved all that he has already and he didn't even hit the track at two himself, he could be one of the most exciting young sires in America. That whole Scat Daddy sire line is really taking off–you've got Mendelssohn, who has had a 'TDN Rising Star' already, and it goes right down to Sioux Nation, who has two group winners and 28 individual winners already.

“We've also got Caravaggio in America, but he also has some very good crops in Europe, including Tenebrism, a Group 1 winner at two and three. There is also Maljoom (Ire) to look forward to and few would bet against him finishing the season as the best 3-year-old miler in Europe. I know that is a big statement to make but he looked unlucky in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot and the form of that race is looking stronger and stronger.”

And that's just the start of the Scat Daddy pipeline that Coolmore has been mining with great success in recent seasons. Those taps are in full flow now, with progeny of Ten Sovereigns going down well at the August Sale at Arqana and the Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster, which bodes well for the future.

“It's very early days at the yearling sales but the progeny of Ten Sovereigns have been extremely well-received. When you go to Book 1 and Book 2 at Tattersalls and the Orby Sale at Goffs, that's when you'll really see a different type of yearling coming along. The demand for these horses is just going up and up.

“Then we also have Arizona, who has his first foals on the ground, and in a couple of years' time, hopefully we will have Little Big Bears and Blackbeards as well. It's a line that keeps getting stronger and stronger.”

 

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Runhappy Travers Tops Super Saturday at the Spa

The GI Runhappy Travers S. is one of the summer's most highly anticipated events and for the past several years it has been the centerpiece of a Super Saturday card at Saratoga that serves as a Breeders' Cup preview. The Travers is one of five star-studded Grade Is on the 14-race card, which also includes the GII Ballston Spa S. for turf fillies.

Intriguing storylines abound in this year's eight-horse renewal of the summer centerpiece for sophomore colts, which is topped by GII Jim Dandy S. winner Epicenter (Not This Time). The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. runner-up looks to provide Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen with his first Travers and add another bullet point to his hot young sire's resume.

“I love the race that he ran over this racetrack. I like him at a mile and a quarter,” Asmussen said. “Nothing but respect for some extremely good 3-year-olds, but I think we have the right one.”

Chad Brown's best previous Travers finish was third with Miles D (Curlin) in last year's renewal. He saddles three this year in Preakness winner Early Voting (Gun Runner); GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner and Jim Dandy runner-up Zandon (Upstart); and impressive Curlin S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Artorius (Arrogate).

“The only reason I'm in this profession is from coming to Saratoga with my family as a kid,” Brown said. “It doesn't get any bigger than that, to win the jewel of their meet and the history surrounding the race. Coming to the Travers with my parents when I was knee-high is the only reason I'm here in the first place.”

Artorius is the lightest-raced horse in the field, but his late sire had just two more starts under his belt, and none in stakes company, when he powered home to a record-setting 13 1/2-length victory in this event in 2016. The last Travers winner to sire a Travers winner was 2004 victor Birdstone, who is responsible for 2009 scorer Summer Bird.

“The horse brought himself here since we got him to his debut at Keeneland,” Brown said. “Moving forward, he's always worked right on schedule, and he's done everything that we've asked him to do. He's been stretching out nicely and his first two-turn race was impressive, his best race. I have a lot of optimism that horse will be able to carry another eighth of a mile.”

Brad Cox captured last year's Travers with champion Essential Quality (Tapit) and looks to take the elusive GI Haskell Inviational S./Travers double this year with Cyberknife (Gun Runner). His phenomenal young sire could only manage third behind Arrogate in the 2016 Travers, but proved 10 furlongs was well within his wheel house when taking the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

The feel-good story of the year could add another chapter Saturday as Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) looks to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the GI Belmont S. Saturday at the Spa.

Jackie and Jack Headline Grade I Sprints

The first Grade I of the day should set the mood quite nicely as champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) looks to take his Saratoga record to six-for-six in the GI Forego S. The fleet-footed bay is four-for-four this year, including a sizzling last-out score in this venue's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 30.

“He's immortal,” Asmussen said. “He's the only racehorse ever to win a Grade I three years in a row at Saratoga. The only horse, ever, at Saratoga.”

None of the other six competitors even come close to being able to run with the Eclipse winner on paper, but GIII Westchester S. romper Cody's Wish (Curlin) appears best of the rest.

Just 117 minutes later sophomore sprinters get their turn, but once again it looks like a one-horse affair with the presence of 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings). The speedy chestnut suffered his first loss when attempting two turns for the first time last out in the Haskell. Undefeated around one turn, including a 10-length demolition of the GI Woody Stephens S., the chestnut will be just about impossible to catch at his best.

“I thought the horse ran great in the Haskell. He ran a fast three-quarters in 1:09 and change and he fought on nicely,” Brown said. “He just didn't have quite enough late, but I thought it was a really good race. The horse has never disappointed me in a race. I'm happy to cut him back on a track that I know he likes. I hope he gets a good, clean break.”

He is joined by GII Amsterdam S. one-two Gunite (Gun Runner), winner of the GI Hopeful S. last term, and the chalk's stablemate Accretive (Practical Joke).

Short, But Sweet Personal Ensign

Clairiere | Sarah Andrew

Four of the five runners from Belmont's June 11 GI Ogden Phipps S., including regular rivals Malathaat (Curlin) and Clairiere (Curlin) face off yet again in a five-horse renewal of the GI Personal Ensign S.

Clairiere has come out on top in her last two meetings with champion and GI Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat, edging her by a head in the Phipps and besting her in this venue's GII Shuvee S. July 24. Her dam Cavorting closed out her career with a decisive score in the 2016 Personal Ensign.

“She's racing royalty and she's in great form,” Asmussen said. “She's capable. It's within her and she continues to get better. I expect another huge race against great mares in the Personal Ensign. Letruska and Malathaat are as good as race mares can be.”

Champion Letruska (Super Saver) looks to defend her title in this event. While she was well beaten by her younger foes when folding her tent in the Shuvee, the bay did triumph over Clairiere earlier this season in the Apr. 23 GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn.

GIII Molly Pitcher S. winner and Phipps third Search Results (Flatter) and Shuvee third Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map) round out the quintet.

BC Qualifiers Coast-to-Coast

Rounding out Saturday's Grade I action at Saratoga is the Sword Dancer S., a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf S. at Keeneland in November. When Aidan O'Brien ships one in, it's a horse worth paying attention to and he saddles Group 1 winner Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) here. Winning the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot June 18, he wheeled back just five days late to be fourth in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.

Gufo (Declaration of War) adds blinkers for this title defense and Chad Brown saddles three–Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire})–in search of his fourth win in this event.

The West Coast also plays host to a Breeders' Cup qualifier in the GII Pat O'Brien S., which grants the winner a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile starting gate. Bill Mott makes the journey to Del Mar with an imposing contender in GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), who hit the board behind the country's top two racehorses, Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief), in his last two outings.

His biggest competition here comes from GI Bing Crosby S. and GII Triple Bend S. winner American Theorem (American Pharoah).

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Broome Raids For Sword Dancer

Ballydoyle's Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), whose most recent trip across the Atlantic resulted in a strong runner-up effort behind Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf, faces nine others–including defending champion Gufo (Declaration of War)–in Saturday's GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational S. at Saratoga. The 12-furlong event earns the winner a fees-paid berth into this year's Turf at Keeneland Nov. 5.

The 6-year-old entire comes into the Sword Dancer a relatively fresh animal, as he will be making just his fourth start of the season at the weekend. A first-up fifth in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup over 10 panels, Broome took command of the June 18 G2 Hardwicke S. at the Royal meeting after a quarter-mile and boldly led the balance, staying up the rise to score by 3 1/4 decisive lengths.

 

 

“He made the running. It was a good effort and we were delighted with him,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien, in search of a first win at the historic upstate New York oval. “It was probably his best run of the year, really. We felt he came back every bit as good if not better than before. He's a horse that's maturing very well.”

Off at longshot odds when last seen in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. back at Ascot, he locked up with G1 Irish Derby hero Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at midway and ultimately got the better of that battle, but weakened out two furlongs down and finished better than a dozen lengths in back of Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) in fourth.

O'Brien does not believe that forecast rains Friday will dampen Broome's chances.

“I don't think he'll mind it. He has form with ease in the ground,” O'Brien said. “I spoke to the lads and they're happy with the way he's training. Hopefully, he will run well.”

Ryan Moore, who rode Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) to a runner-up effort behind Gufo last summer, retains the call.

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