Minding stars for O’Brien
SENSATIONAL: STAR FILLY GIVES RIVALS A LESSON IN 1000 GUINEAS AT NEWMARKET
Air Force Blue’s shocking 2000 Guineas run a mystery for trainer.
April could hardly have finished on a lower note for Aidan O’Brien what with his muchhyped Air Force Blue crash-landing in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last Saturday, but there were no signs of ‘May Day Blues’ at Newmarket 24 hours later when he saddled 1-2-3 in the fillies classic equivalent.
The record-breaking O’Brien, who was celebrating his 250th Group 1 winner in 20 years as private trainer to the powerful Coolmore operation, has so much talent at his disposal at his Ballydoyle stables in Ireland that arch-rivals Godolphin, who are struggling to find a Grade 1 runner these days, let alone a winner, must be green with envy.
Ryan Moore, never one to wax lyrical, has been telling his closest friends all winter that Minding was “a machine”, and the 11-10 favourite looked just that as she powered clear from the Bushes to beat stablemates Ballydoyle and Alice Springs in sensational fashion, the first three home all being by Galileo, the jewel in the crown of the team at Coolmore.
“Incredible, but it shows that even I can’t destroy them all,” said O’Brien afterwards, alluding to the shock demise of Air Force Blue, and, while Minding was immediately shortened to odds-on for the Oaks, hold your bets until after Thursday when another over-hyped inmate from the Tipperary yard, US Army Ranger, puts his Epsom claims to the test in the Chester Vase.
Minding is not entered for the Derby, but should US Army Ranger bomb out on the Roodee this week, then even a genius like O’Brien will be stretched to pull another Derby ace from his sleeve at such short notice.
Coolmore would not think twice about supplementing Minding for the Blue Riband classic – after all they still have a fistful of fillies, including Ballydoyle, on stand-by for the Oaks – but they would far rather stick to the traditional route with Minding at Epsom and instead be represented in the Derby by a colt like US Army Ranger, who has enormous stallion potential.
Besides Chester, there are Derby trials coming up at Lingfield, Leopardstown and York in the next week, so it will be a case of keeping the options open with Minding, but Messrs Magnier, Tabor and Smith have always supported a gung-ho policy, so Sunday’s classic showstopper will first try for the Guineas double at The Curragh on 22 May.
Ballydoyle and Alice Springs (recommended at 20-1) are both being considered for the French 1000 Guineas at Deauville, though the former might well “stay on the bench” until the Epsom Oaks picture becomes clearer.
Reflecting on the performance – Air Force Blue, hailed “the best two-year-old that I have trained” by O’Brien on the run up to the race, was never travelling and trailed in last but one behind our 14-1 Eachway tip Galileo Gold ( hooray!) – O’Brien said: “It’s still a mystery. He showed so much speed in his last gallop before Newmarket that maybe he does not stay the mile ( 1600m), but then Ryan was adamant that he gave him no feel in the race.
“We’ll change his training regime and he could go on a retrieval mission in the Irish 2000 Guineas – if that does not work out then we might have to switch back to sprinting.”
Hugo Palmer, one of the bright new kids on the block among Newmarket’s increasing band of young trainers, was celebrating his first classic victory with Galileo Gold, given a brilliant aggressive ride from the front by Frankie Dettori, who last won the Guineas 17 years ago in his Godolphin days.
Connections will be deliberating this week whether to take Galileo Gold to Ireland for the Guineas double or jump up to 2400m and try untested waters in the Derby.
Dettori has suggested to both Palmer and his bosses, the Al Shaqab Racing team, that they should be brave and go to Epsom, but, though boasting a Galileo mare, the Guineas winner is by Paco Boy, who never got beyond 1600m, so the pedigree buffs are all in the “stick what you do best” camp.
Tomorrow's Vase will be an important part of the Derby jigsaw, and O’Brien, who, like Dick Hern and Sir Michael Stoute, feels horses learn so much by running around the unique Chester bowl has won four of the last five runnings, which include subsequent 2013 Derby hero Rule The World.
Having taken an early view on the Derby and pinned my hopes to the mast with US ARMY RANGER after The Curragh, I’m hoping he rubber-stamps his Epsom claims here in some style, but for the Exacta I can recommend High Grounds,
So tight is Chester that even over the 3700m of today’s ‘Cup’, run over two circuits of the track, the draw is important, but, though Irish raider QUICK JACK is unlucky to be parked wide in stall 14, he is a hold-up horse and with Ryan Moore aboard I still feel he should be backed.
Quick Jack was only narrowly beaten in this race 12 months ago by subsequent Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris, and trainer Tony Martin feels that he would have won had Richard Hughes held on to him longer.
We’ll need luck in running – and plenty of it – but, though I will be saving on Steve Rogers – proven on the track, well-drawn, fit from a recent easy win at Kempton and possibly a blot on the handicap – this has been Quick Jack’s target since last year, and a pipe-opener at Cork encouraged Martin, who booked Moore for the ride.
COPPER KNIGHT, unlucky at Windsor, might get us off to a flyer by winning the Chester curtainraiser, while all eyes on Saturday will be on Churchill Downs, where I have to stay with the unbeaten NYQUIST for the Kentucky Derby.
Santa Anita Derby winner Exaggerator did not overly impress work-watchers on his final gallop on the track this week, so granted a decent post-position Nyquist, who loves to run from the front, should grind his rivals into submission. He is a superstar in California, so get the mint juleps out - you Kentucky guys could be in for a treat.