Joseph O’Brien believes Cristoforo Colombo can cut the length deficit on Dawn Approach when they renew rivalry in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.
Our champion jockey is convinced the colt was beaten by the draw when third behind the Jim Bolger-trained ante-post favourite and Olympic Glory in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Despite the disadvantage of being drawn on the wrong side of the course, Cristoforo Colombo was only a length behind the winner at the line.
The jockey feels there is more to come from his mount especially when he gets suitable ground. That is one of the reasons he chose the son of the 2008 hero Henrythenavigator over his father Aidan’s other runners, Mars and George Vancouver.
"The fast ground will help him and I think he will improve for the step up in trip. He ran a massive race in Ascot last year when he was drawn on the wrong side of the track," the jockey told At The Races.
Hoping for good run
"I was on my own and the first two were on the stands side so I'm hoping for a good run. He has cheekpieces on as he can be a little bit lazy in his races and they will help him to travel a bit sweeter.
“He’s never had his ground and I think everything is right for him. The nicest ground he had was at Ascot and he was only beaten a length by Dawn Approach. He is stepping up in trip and on better ground, I can see him hopefully make up a little bit of that.”
O’Brien admits he would have preferred Mars, the mount of Seamie Heffernan, to have had more racecourse experience than just the one run. “Mars has only ever had one run a maiden in Dundalk and made all. It’s a massive ask coming on the back of that to Newmarket,” he said.
"He has been working very well and is a lovely horse. He has plenty of class and he has plenty of speed, but Cristoforo has plenty of experience. His work is good, he's a great mover. I think fast ground will be essential for him.
'Plenty of pace'
"He has plenty of pace in his family and he's working nicely, but he has had only the one run and I would have liked him to have had a little more experience going to Newmarket."
Colm O’Donoghue rides George Vancouver. He is no slouch either, having finished third to Dawn Approach in the Dewhurst before winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. “He had a great run in America, he loved the fast ground and got the trip. He’s a horse who relaxes and has a great turn of foot on fast ground,” said O’Brien jnr.
“On his run in America, he’d have a massive chance,” he added.
The O’Brien trio were among a field of 13 declared for the colts’ Classic headed by the six-race unbeaten Dawn Approach. He will be joined by stablemate Leitir Mor, who was second in the Dewhurst.
