Peace Envoy failed to give his trainer Aidan O’Brien a 14th Group 1 success of the season in Sunday’s Prix Morny at Deauville, but the Irishman remains on course for another remarkable year.
O’Brien memorably saddled 24 Group 1 winners in 2001, when he came up tantalisingly short of Bobby Frankel’s world-record tally of 25 for a season. On that occasion, he saddled 11 of those winners in the period between now and the end of the year.
A similarly productive run now could put him within sight of that record again. In 2015 O’Brien saddled 10 Group 1 winners in the same time-frame when Highland Reel wound up scoring at the Hong Kong International Carnival in December.
With that horse set to go on his international travels again, including another tilt at Australia’s Cox Plate, and a vintage group of three-year-old fillies topped by the brilliant Minding, the strength in depth which last week saw O’Brien break the British prizemoney record, looks in place for a devastating Group 1 autumn campaign.
Whether US Army Ranger will be contributing appears debatable after the Derby runner up could finish only fourth to Success Days on his return to action in the Kilfrush Stud Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh. O’Brien insisted though that the Irish Champion Stakes remains in his thoughts for the highly-touted colt.
Tired
“He got a little tired and it was a little rough around the bend but he was galloping away home. We were always going to start back gentle with him, so we’ll see about the Irish Champion,” he said.
Ultimately, it is the fortunes of his juvenile team which could prove vital in terms of another tilt at the Group 1 record, and the power of O’Brien’s two-year-old team got advertised once again at the Curragh on Sunday.
Considering Peace Envoy hardly ranks among the Ballydoyle elite, his Morny third to the odds-on hotpot Lady Aurelia was a commendable effort.
But a Group 2 double at the Curragh included a Galileo Futurity victory for Churchill, who is definitely among O’Brien’s juvenile A-Team.
The strapping colt doesn't appear disposed to flamboyance and was niggled for much of the race. However, when challenged by Radio Silence inside the distance, his response was impressive once Seamus Heffernan got serious.
“He’s a big, square, powerful horse, a big sleepy fella, and very lazy. He doesn’t do a lot,” said O’Brien, who immediately nominated the National Stakes over Irish Champions Weekend as Churchill’s next target.
“Hopefully he’ll get further than a mile, but he’s not slow this horse. I’d definitely say he’s a Guineas-type. Maybe he’ll get a mile and a half, but he doesn’t go like a mile and a half horse in his work. He has plenty of boot,” he added.
Bookmaker reaction was to keep Churchill at 16-1 for next year’s Derby but he is half those odds in some Guineas lists, behind his exciting stable companion, Caravaggio.
Flower puns were flying after Rhododendron edged out her stable companion Hydrangea by a head in the Breast Cancer Research Debutante Stakes, but nothing flowery is required to highlight the race’s ability to throw up future top-notch performers.
Even Minding could finish only second in it in 2015 before going on to land the Moyglare three weeks later. O’Brien confirmed that Sunday’s first two will head to the same Group 1 Champions Weekend highlight, as will the Royal Ascot winner, Brave Anna, who was fifth.
“The second kept coming and is a hardy filly. They’ll all hopefully come back here and they’ll get further,” said the trainer, who was winning the Debutante for an 11th time.
One-day ban
Seamus Heffernan got a one-day ban for use of the whip on Rhododendron and proceeded to complete a hat-trick on the day for himself and O’Brien on board Big Ben in the mile and a quarter maiden.
Heffernan’s whip was a factor here, too, as inside the final furlong Big Ben reacted to a smack by momentarily diving right into the rail. He straightened out, though, to still beat his stable companion, Tree Of Knowledge.
Former champion jockey Declan McDonogh rode Red Sabor to win the opening nursery and his father, Des, trained Morga to score in the concluding handicap.
