AIDAN O’BRIEN is resolutely focusing on the future after last weekend’s Derby frustration at Epsom and confirmed yesterday Yeats is on course for an attempt at a record-breaking fourth Gold Cup success at Royal Ascot next week.
“The plan at the moment is the Gold Cup and he seems to be in good shape,” said the champion trainer about Yeats who failed to fire on his sole start of the season so far at Navan. “We have to accept he is a year older and wiser but we’re happy with him at the moment.”
O’Brien also described Fame And Glory as a likely starter in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh later this month and even the possibility of taking on Sea The Stars again isn’t dissuading the Ballydoyle team from attacking Ireland’s premier Classic in strength.
“It is very important we support the biggest race in Ireland. It’s important for everyone,” he said yesterday before giving the 10 horses who ran in the English and French Derbys at the weekend a clean bill of health.
“They are all in the mix for the Duty Free Irish Derby, the Coral Eclipse at Sandown and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. We will divide them up when the time comes,” O’Brien added.
“Rip Van Winkle has a lot of options and can go down in trip if he has to whereas Westphalia wouldn’t want much further than 10 furlongs.”
However, the fallout from Epsom continues to linger over Ballydoyle with jockey Séamus Heffernan expressing some frustration at the pace set by the O’Brien pace-setters, Golden Sword and Age Of Aquarius, last Saturday.
Heffernan finished runner-up to Sea The Stars on the favourite Fame And Glory and Ballydoyle’s number two jockey is keen to have another crack at Sea The Stars.
“I’d like to have another go at them – I felt like he beat me on his terms,” Heffernan said.
“The times are there but Michael (Kinane) made his horse look impressive.”
He then added: “I was very happy with the way my lad travelled and the position I had but I was disappointed it wasn’t a Group One pace. I’d say the pacemaker ran on his merits.
“Maybe Sea The Stars is a super horse and he won’t be beaten, but I’d do things a little differently if I had the chance again. I’d like to have gotten in front of Mick.”
Immediately after the Derby O’Brien’s tactics in the race came under question in some areas and Heffernan’s comments will have only added to the debate.
However, the trainer said yesterday: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion after Epsom. But the reality is that the only thing that matters is what happens when we all meet at the Curragh.”
The pre-Curragh focus, however, will be on next week’s Royal Ascot meeting where Ballydoyle’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Mastercraftsman, is due to try to follow up in the St James’s Palace Stakes on Tuesday.
The Last Stand can follow up
THE LAST Stand returns to Fairyhouse this evening a week after bringing a long losing run to an end and can follow up in the apprentice handicap for the father and son team of Tony and Danny Mullins.
A 7lb penalty for beating Daytime Dreamer by over a length seven days ago doesn’t look overly harsh and this easy track, combined with decent ground, puts The Last Stand in with another winning chance.
He certainly seems to be in good form having been backed in from 12 to 1 to 8 to 1 last week.
Aidan O’Brien runs a pair of Galileo colts making their debuts in today’s seven-furlong conditions race and although Baglioni is a Dundalk winner it looks significant that the champion trainer is pitching these two out of maiden class straight away.
Séamus Heffernan is on board Cape Blanco but any market moves will be important.
Battleoftrafalger’s rider Colm O’Donoghue is also on duty for David Marnane in the concluding mile-and-a-half handicap where Premier Rouge carries an 1llb penalty for winning at Killarney last month.
