Aidan O'Brien has a history of upsetting Derby winners in the Coral Eclipse and this time possesses an unknown factor in Sandown's Group One highlight courtesy of Cougar Mountain whose first attempt at a mile and a quarter involves
opposing the unbeaten Epsom hero, Golden Horn.
Just four, including Golden Horn’s stable companion Western Hymn, will tackle the heavy odds-on favourite but should Cougar Mountain spring a surprise it will be a record-equalling sixth win in the race for his trainer.
O’Brien didn’t subsequently run any of his five Epsom Derby winners in the Eclipse, all of them electing instead to tackle the Irish Derby, but Oratorio memorably got the better of an unbeaten Motivator in the race ten years ago.
In 2011 So You Think beat the previous year’s Derby hero Workforce in a memorable finish while Giants Causeway (2000) and Hawk Wing (2002) are two other previous Eclipse winners that figure prominently in the Ballydoyle pantheon.
Cougar Mountain has yet to make any such impression but has always been held in high regard and posted a career best when a closing third to Solow in Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes over a mile.
That he is now being upped to ten furlongs, and wears first-time blinkers, is a pointer that can hardly be ignored and even John Gosden is taking nothing for granted.
“I have a lot of respect for The Grey Gatsby, looking at his form from last year and the form of his last race. Then you have the horse that finished third in the Queen Anne (Cougar Mountain), which is the best form around over a mile, so these are top older horses we’re taking on,” said Golden Horn’s trainer said.
A track
“I don’t think the odds are representative of the chances the other horses have. It’s a mile and a quarter on a track that can favour front-runners and against older horses. Nothing is a given,” he added.
O’Brien has secured five Group One prizes already this season and his top-flight ambitions on Saturday night revolve around the $1 million Belmont Oaks in which his recent Naas winner Outstanding lines up in a field of 14 under Colm O’Donoghue. Outstanding is the sole overseas challenger for a race (due off at 10.46) on Belmont’s Fourth of July card which also sees Dermot Weld’s Postulation take his chance in the $1.25 million Belmont Derby due off at 9.32.
Pat Smullen travels to take the ride on the Curragh Listed winner for a nine-runner contest in which Adelaide was runner-up last year and which this time also includes the French raider, Canndal.
Irish interest across-channel will also include Carlow trainer Pat Fahy’s attempt to land the Group Two Lancashire Oaks at Haydock with Ballybacka Queen. Dark Crusader runs too for Tony Martin.
“At least she doesn’t have to give a stone in weight to top three-year-olds, so it’s a great chance for her to get a Group Two under her belt,” said Fahy.
