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O’Brien Reveals Plans for French Classics

ROSEGREEN, Ireland–He may have drawn a blank in the opening Classics of the season at Newmarket but Aidan O'Brien is taking dead aim at ParisLongchamp on Sunday and nominated Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to be on course for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches while The Acropolis (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) will be the sole Ballydoyle representative in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains on the same afternoon.

Toy, a sister to seven black-type horses, including 2,000 Guineas winner Gleneagles (Ire), got off the mark at the third attempt over seven furlongs at Cork last month but O'Brien is of the opinion that she will be seen to best effect when stepping up to a mile or even ten furlongs in time.

The Acropolis won just one of his eight starts as a juvenile but created a big impression on his return when chasing home Dr Zempf (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown last month.

Speaking ahead of his two-pronged attack on ParisLongchamp, O'Brien said, “We are going to aim The Acropolis for the [French] 2000 Guineas and Toy will run in the 1,000 Guineas.

“We thought the world of The Acropolis last year but I couldn't get him to do anything but we were delighted by his return at Leopardstown. He ran home well to finish second in the 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown. I don't think we'll over-race him this year. Maybe we over-raced him a little last year, so it will be interesting to see what he does at the weekend. He's a horse with plenty of speed so he shouldn't have any problem around Longchamp.”

On Toy, he added, “Toy is from a fantastic family. They are not slow and, while it looks like she will get the mile quite well, I think she could be even better over ten furlongs. I thought she could be a French Guineas filly and then she might develop into a Diane filly. We raced her over seven furlongs and from a bad draw purposefully at Cork, just to see would she be able to do it with a view towards the French Guineas, and I thought she did it well. It will be interesting to see how she gets on.

“I'm not sure if she'd get a mile and a half. I think she'll get 10 furlongs alright, but a mile and a half, I'm not sure. You need a filly that will go along at a good gallop and one who can quicken–it's a tough race.”

It is also a big week for the sprinting fraternity at Ballydoyle. Commonwealth Cup-bound colts King Of Bavaria (Ire) (No Nay Never), Cadamosto (Ire) (No Nay Never) and New York City (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) will advertise their Royal Ascot claims this week with O'Brien keen to keep the speedsters apart.

He said, “There are three sprint races this week and I think we will divide King Of Bavaria, Cadamosto and New York City up in each. If the ground looked like it was going to come up slow at Naas we could look at running Cadamosto there and send the other two to England. I'd like Ryan to ride all three of them. They are all in the mix for the Commonwealth Cup.”

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First Winner For Rajasinghe

The National Stud's resident Rajasinghe (Ire) (by Choisir {Aus}) became the latest first-season sire to break through on Monday when his son Waiting All Night (GB) took the five-furlong maiden on Wolverhampton's Tapeta. Homebred by Phil Cunningham, the Richard Spencer-trained bay who traded at 12-1 travelled strongly tracking the leaders for James Doyle and when tackling Confederation (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) a furlong out was soon in command to score by 3/4 of a length. The dam, who has a yearling full-brother to the winner, is a granddaughter of Poppy Carew (Ire) (Danehill) who captured the Listed John Musker S. and was placed in the G2 Sun Chariot S., G3 May Hill S. and G3 Prestige S.

2nd-Wolverhampton, £5,100, Mdn, 5-9, 2yo, 5f 21y (AWT), 1:01.81, st.
WAITING ALL NIGHT (GB) (c, 2, Rajasinghe {Ire}–Goodnightsuzy {Ire}, by Azamour {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $3,402. O/B-Phil Cunningham (GB); T-Richard Spencer.

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Stone Age The Prime Choice for Moore

ROSEGREEN, Ireland–Ryan Moore will find it difficult to ride anything other than Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Cazoo Derby, according to Aidan O'Brien, who may be without the ace–Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB})–in his Epsom pack, but expects to run up to six colts as he bids for a record-extending ninth win in the race on June 4.

Stone Age didn't just open the door to a tilt at the Derby in winning the G3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday, he kicked it open and announced himself as a leading player in demolishing the field and skyrocketing to a general 5-2 favourite for Epsom glory in the process.

O'Brien's breakthrough Derby winner, Galileo (Ire), charted a similar path to Epsom by winning that same Derby Trial at Leopardstown, and the master of Ballydoyle admits it could be hard for Moore to ride anything other than Stone Age next month.

“I think he [Ryan] would find it hard to not ride the horse from yesterday [Stone Age],” O'Brien said on Monday. “I imagine Ryan will find it hard not to ride him.”

Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Star Of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), impressive winners of their respective trials at Chester, Lingfield Derby Trial winner United Nations (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and 2,000 Guineas disappointment Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}), will give Moore something to think about, but O'Brien revealed there would have been no decision to make if Luxembourg remained in the picture.

The long-time ante-post favourite for the Derby, Luxembourg ran a cracker to finish third in the 2,000 Guineas but has been ruled out until at least the autumn after picking up a muscular problem behind.

O'Brien explained, “I am disappointed for the lads. He is a very good horse. I don't think Ryan would have had a choice to make if he were fit.”

When a comparison was made between Luxembourg and St Nicholas Abbey (Ire), O'Brien added, “He probably has more scope than St Nicholas Abbey had. St Nick ran well in the Guineas [sixth] as well but he didn't run as well as this lad did. Luxembourg ran extremely well to make the ground up and finish third. We didn't really see what he was able to do.”

Despite not managing to win in five starts at two, O'Brien outlined how that experience stood to the new Derby favourite Stone Age, who is now unbeaten in his two starts this term and heads to Epsom as the leading Ballydoyle challenger.

O'Brien said, “It'd be hard not to be impressed with what Stone Age did at Leopardstown. You'd like to have something lead him but there was no point in messing him about. Ryan let him bowl along and he was very impressive.

“He has a lot of experience from his juvenile days. He was happy to get a lead at two. He'd have learnt a lot at two. We were running him and teaching him. He learnt a lot in those races.”

It seems somewhat ironic that O'Brien will face some of the stiffest competition in the Derby from his son Donnacha who appears to have outstanding claims of making his own breakthrough in the race with impressive Ballysax winner Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}).

Respecting the opposition, O'Brien said, “We always do our best to win no matter what. I am always happy if they [Donnacha or Joseph] beat us. They are rivals, one hundred per cent, but I am always delighted when we get beaten by them. Believe me, there's no inch given anywhere.”

O'Brien also holds the key to the Oaks and nominated Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a sister to Minding (Ire) and the general 7-2 favourite for the race, as the pick of his team for the fillies' Classic.

Tuesday overcame inexperience to finish strongly for third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and O'Brien is convinced that there's more to come.

He said, “Tuesday doesn't turn three until the first week in June and, to be doing what she's doing is unreal. Her run in the Guineas would suggest that she's crying out for a step up in trip. She's still only a baby and we are thinking of running in the Irish Guineas and then going on to the Oaks, just like what Minding did.”

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Danon Scorpion Stings in NHK Mile Cup

Danon Scorpion (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn) recorded a career-high win when taking the G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Sunday. Unhurried in the early going exiting after exiting the widest stall, the colt settled in mid-division as the leaders slugged it out up front. Inching closer approaching the home turn, he reeled in late-leader and favorite Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn} in the stretch, drew even at the 100-meter marker and held off the late-closing Matenro Orion (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) by a neck with Kawakita Reverie (Jpn) (Drefong) a similar margin back in third. Serifos was fourth.

“It was a great feeling to have won in front of a big crowd like this. It was a close victory and I knew that the horses on the outside route were all coming up with a lot of force, so although I felt we had won crossing the wire, I had to be sure by watching the replay,” said winning jockey Yuga Kawada. “Danon Scorpion was in perhaps his best condition coming into this race so I had a lot of confidence [despite a wide draw]. He was in good rhythm and balance so I had no worries.”

With a pair of wins at two, including the Listed Hagi S., he concluded the 2021 season with a third in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (1,600m). He was seventh in his 3-year-old debut in the G3 Kyodo News Hai in February but bounced back to win the Apr. 16 G3 Arlington Cup.

Pedigree Note:

Danon Scorpion is out of Canadian Horse of the Year Lexie Lou, winner of the 2014 Queen's Plate, the first jewel in Canada's Triple Crown. A $5,577 yearling purchase at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, Lexie Lou also earned Champion 3-year-old Filly honors in 2014, the same season she annexed the Woodbine Oaks. Lexie Lou retired with 10 wins from 24 starts and earnings of more than $1.9 million. Nine of her wins came in stakes races, including the GII Dance Smartly S., GII Nassau S., and GIII Autumn Miss S. She also ran second to Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome in the 2014 GI Hollywood Derby. Offered at the Keeneland November sale in 2016, she realized a $1-million final bid from K I Farm.

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