This past weekend saw the first Classics of the Irish flat season run at the County Kildare track of the Curragh, and for once things went exactly as scripted. The Aidan O’Brien pair of Churchill and Winter headed into the weekend as hot favourites, having landed the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at Newmarket respectively. Both delivered in pretty emphatic style to cement their status at the top of the tree amongst the one mile Classic generation.
O’Brien At The Guineas Double Again As Focus Turns To Britain’s Richest Race
Churchill was first up in Saturday’s Irish 2000 Guineas, and with the second and third from Newmarket opting not to take him on again here, this looked to be his for the taking. Backers were however made to sweat just a little as he could hardly be said to travelling best three furlongs out. The chances are he was simply a little lazy though, as once wound up by Ryan Moore the result was never in any doubt. The winning margin was 2 ½ lengths in the end, with the handsome colt leaving the impression that he would have pulled further clear the further they went. A step up to 1m2f therefore looks a realistic target in time. The St. James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot looks to be the more immediate target however, a race for which he is now the 5/4 favourite.
As impressive as Churchill was, Winter was even more pleasing on the eye in Sunday’s 1000 Guineas, and is beginning to look a filly out of the very top drawer. Always travelling smoothly under Ryan Moore, she was simply on a different planet to these rivals and fairly skipped clear in the final furlong to win by an easy 4 ¾ lengths, with stablemates Roly Poly and Hydrangea filling the places. The Coronation Stakes looks to be next on the agenda for this beautiful grey. BetVictor make her an 8/11 shot for that race, and in this sort of form we won’t be too keen on taking her on wherever she lines up for the remainder of the campaign.
The Best Trainer Ever?
For Aidan O’Brien, these latest achievements added still further gloss to what is rapidly becoming the greatest training career ever. Now the top trainer outright in the history of the Irish 2000 and joint top in the Irish 1000, he has now recorded a 1-2-3 in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas and the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe. The next big targets for O’Brien – and indeed all the other top trainers – are The Oaks and Derby at Epsom this coming Friday and Saturday.
O’Brien looks certain to have the favourite for the fillies race in the form of his English 1000 Guineas runner up, Rhododendron, with the daughter of Galileo currently an even money shot. The Derby – which with a purse of £1.625million, will be the richest race ever run on British soil – looks a more open affair. Cracksman heads the betting for John Gosden at 7/2, with Cliffs Of Moher being the most fancied of a strong Ballydoyle team at 5/1 with Totesport.
