O’Brien’s team fit again right on Kew
AidAn O’Brien is confident that victory for warm favourite Kew Gardens in the William Hill St Leger on Saturday would ignite a stuttering campaign and produce a clutch of big-race successes in the final months of the season.
A mid-season virus denied a number of O’Brien’s string the chance to reach their full potential this summer, with the likes of 2,000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior waylaid by a well-documented bug which swept through Ballydoyle.
However, the master trainer believes his string are returning to full capacity and a dual assault on the english Leger and the following weekend’s irish version represents stage one of an ambitious bid for some of the world’s premier prizes in the final quarter of the year.
Kew Gardens is one of a quartet, along with Southern France, The Pentagon and nelson, which could head to Town Moor, and the likes of Saxon Warrior (irish Champion Stakes), Capri (L’Arc de Triomphe), US navy Flag (The everest), Ten Sovereigns (Middle Park Stakes) and Mendelssohn (Breeders’ Cup Classic) are also set to tackle major autumn assignments. O’Brien said: ‘The horses are healthier now and we have been pleased with their comeback runs.
‘Kew Gardens is the one to focus on for the Leger. We’ve always loved him as he’s a big rangy horse. He had one disappointing run in the derby and he disappointed us a bit at Lingfield when he was beaten and lost a shoe, but maybe he is a horse that likes a level track.
‘Maybe we were also too positive on him in the derby and he got hung up on the early pace. donnacha O’Brien came back and said, “Take your time on him and he will be much better”, and that’s why we let him relax and he was trained like that for Ascot.
‘He’s already won his Group One (in France) and we think he is a smart colt.’ O’Brien also issued upbeat bulletins on the progress of fellow St Leger hope Southern France who has ‘stepped forward significantly for his recent Curragh run’, and Saxon Warrior is also recovering well having been one of the worst hit by the virus.
‘Saxon Warrior was sick enough after Sandown, properly sick so all we wanted to do is get him healthy and get a run into him, that was the reason for going to York and we were very happy with his run there,’ he said.
‘We are thinking of the irish Champion Stakes and the Queen elizabeth ii Stakes at Ascot in October.’ BATH