RACING SANDOWN:CAPE BLANCO'S Irish Derby victory was a third Group One success in 10 days for Aidan O'Brien and the champion trainer will attempt to build on that in Saturday's Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
O’Brien has six of the 13 entries left in the Eclipse after yesterday’s forfeit stage as he pursues a fifth win in the prestigious 10-furlong race. They include Viscount Nelson, the Irish 2,000 Guineas third and French Derby fifth, and also the highly-rated Steinbeck, who was a bitter disappointment in Royal Ascot’s St James’s Palace Stakes when beating only one home.
However, a resurgence in Ballydoyle’s fortunes occurred later that week at Ascot with Lillie Langtry landing the Coronation Stakes and Starspangledbanner winning the Golden Jubilee.
Cape Blanco’s Classic success at the Curragh only deepened the impression that the world’s most powerful stable is back in form.
“We were very slow to get going this year. We just couldn’t get any of them really shifting, or get them into the right groove. I don’t really know why. It might have been the bad winter but it was unusual the way it happened and it is very apparent now,” O’Brien said yesterday.
He confirmed that Cape Blanco is a “very strong possible” for next month’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot where the Galileo colt could clash again with the Epsom hero Workforce who he beat comprehensively in York’s Dante Stakes.
“The King George was a race we were thinking about before the Irish Derby and it is a very strong possible for him now. He looked to get the mile and a half very well on Sunday,” said O’Brien who saddled the third one-two-three of his career in the Irish Derby at the weekend.
He also said that Starspangledbanner will appear next in the July Cup in a couple of weeks but his immediate focus will be on this Saturday’s Eclipse.
Runner-up with Rip Van Winkle last year, O’Brien previously won the Eclipse with Mount Nelson (2008), Oratorio (2005), Hawk Wing (2002) and Viscount Nelson’s sire Giant’s Causeway, who landed the pot 10 years ago.
“Viscount Nelson has been an intended runner in the Eclipse and he still could be. But we’ve left in a few others just to have a look. We were looking at a race at Leopardstown for Steinbeck in a few weeks. Things didn’t work out properly for him at Ascot. But we will have a look at things later in the week,” he said.
Another of Ballydoyle’s Eclipse entries is Beethoven, the Dewhurst winner whose first start of 2010 saw him finish ahead of Steinbeck when sixth to Canford Cliffs in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Other O’Brien entries are Fencing Master, Encompassing and Bright Horizon who made the pace in Sunday’s Curragh Derby.
The home team at Sandown is set to include John Gosden’s top mare Dar Re Mi as well as Mawatheeq and the Juddmonte pair, Twice Over and Zacinto.
Twice Over is the 9 to 4 favourite with Viscount Nelson rated an 8 to 1 fourth favourite.
