LUX GOOD FOR ARC!
O’brien: Champion win EVEN impressed Ryan... that’ll do
LUXEMBOURG put his troubles behind him for a brilliant Irish Champion Stakes win at Leopardstown that set up a mouth-watering Arc clash with unbeaten superstar Baaeed.
The Aidan O’brien-saddled son of Camelot, like his sire an unbeaten Group 1 winner as a two-year-old, had the summer’s middle-distance prizes at his mercy when roaring to third in the 2,000 Guineas back in April.
But a muscle injury ruled Luxembourg out of the Derby and a hard-fought neck win in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at The Curragh last month was greeted with mixed reviews.
O’brien promised that his colt, held up by a skin allergy prior to his return from 15 weeks off, would improve “20 to 30 percent” – and so it proved as Ryan Moore’s mount took a half-length win over French challenger Onesto.
The runner-up’s compatriot, and 7/4 favourite, Vadeni endured a troubled passage before finishing third.
“We knew to get him to The Curragh was a massive one – if he didn’t get to The Curragh, he couldn’t get here,” said O’brien.
“We went to The Curragh just ready to have a piece of work so, when he did what he did, we felt that we had a chance. He took hard graft every day since The Curragh and he took it with a smile on his face.”
The master of Ballydoyle (below, with the jockey Moore), extending his own record to 11 wins in the 10-furlong Group 1, said: “He’s brave, too – he showed that fight at The Curragh and he had to fight again today.”
“The plan was to get him to The Curragh and, if that went well, we’d come here... and if that went well we’d go for the Arc.”
Ladbrokes cut Luxembourg to 6/1 second favourite for the Prix de l’arc de Triomphe behind 2/1 market leader Baaeed, who heads to Paris if the rains stay away.
Europe’s middle-distance championship means a belated attempt at a mile and a half for
Luxembourg, but O’brien added: “He wasn’t surrendering today – his head was in the cooker a long way up the straight and he didn’t stop.
“Ryan was very impressed with him and Ryan is not an optimist by nature – so if he’s even a bit impressed, it’ll do!”
THE BHA has announced that British racing will not go ahead on Monday, September 19, for the funeral of Her Late Majesty The Queen. Racing will take place as scheduled in the intervening period.