Legendary trainer Aidan O’Brien opened the doors to Ballydoyle on Monday [April 14] at a media visit organised by the Jockey Club and Betfred ahead of the British Classics, which get underway with the Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday May 3
Aidan O’Brien has a record like no other in the British Classics, having sent out a record 10 winners of the 2,000 Guineas winners, seven 1,000 Guineas heroines, a record 10 Derby winners, 10 Oaks scorers and eight victors of the St Leger.
As well as sponsoring all five Classics, Betfred is also offering a £1m bonus to any horse which can win the British Triple Crown – a feat not achieved since Nijinsky in 1970,
O’Brien said: “It’s incredible that Betfred are sponsoring all the Classics, as that has never been done before. It makes it very exciting for everyone as one race will lead into another and build up the narrative.
“We would still very much like to win the Triple Crown although it is a very difficult thing to do – to have the right horse and for everything to fall in place.
“Every year the lads say they wouldn’t go to the St Leger with this horse but if we did have a horse that won the Guineas and the Derby, I know which race they would like to go for!
“There are horses there who could do it this year and stretch out that far, although it is hard enough to win a Guineas and a Derby or even just a Guineas.
“We are lucky enough to have real quality horses as that is what the lads breed and the first thing John [Magnier] will always ask is: could he be a Classic horse?
“A sprinter is a Classic horse who doesn’t get a mile or you could say a miler is a sprinter who stays. You then move up to a mile and a quarter and then a mile and a half for the Derby. Epsom tests a horse inside and out and then you move up in trip for the St Leger, so it’s hard to get a horse that can go all the way through.
“We look under every stone hopefully and hope we haven’t overtrained them. Hopefully we have done everything we should have done and not leaned too hard on them. We think they are fairly right and the plan is to have them ready for the end of April and start of May.”
O’Brien is approaching 30 years training out of Ballydoyle, where he saddled his first G1 winner Desert King in the 1996 National Stakes. “I love coming out in the morning and working with the people and the horses we have here,” he added.
“I feel lucky,” he said. “We live here in Ballydoyle and are lucky that our work is also our hobby. It’s not getting any easier though – if anything it is getting more competitive.”
Aidan O’Brien on his main Classic hopes
Betfred 2,000 Guineas
The two horses we are thinking of for the 2,000 Guineas at the moment are Twain and Expanded, and both horses are being trained for it. Twain is obviously already a Group 1 winner and if the two are both going well heading into Newmarket, then Expanded could go for the Irish 2,000 Guineas Trial at the Curragh the following Monday and just Twain would go straight to Newmarket. If we are not sure about either of them, then the two of them could both run in the Guineas.
Betfred 1,000 Guineas
The plan is to run Exactly, who has already had a run and possibly Lake Victoria, who is on the way back. We stepped Lake Victoria up a couple of weeks ago and she is really coming to herself now. She could be there in time for Newmarket but if she wasn’t she could also go to the Curragh instead. It is very possible she could make it to Newmarket and if she did, Exactly could go for the French Guineas instead.
Betfred Derby
The Lion In Winter will not go for the Guineas and will instead start off it the Dante at York, where he should be around 80 to 90 per cent. He is a medium-sized horse and has done well over the winter. He is straightforward, not slow being by Sea The Stars he should stay very well. We are very happy with him and if York goes well we will see what the lads want to do but if everything goes well, the Derby would probably be the plan.
Delacroix, who won the Ballysax Stakes could now go for the Derrinstown and could also be a Derby horse. If Twain won the Guineas, there is a good chance the lads will want to go for the Derby with him as well for obvious reasons. It was probably impossible what we asked Twain to do last season. He won his maiden and then just over a week later won a Group 1 in France. He never saw another horse in his maiden when the plan had been to drop him in and educate him, but he jumped out and won by six lengths. He went to France after what was only really a racecourse gallop and was still very green but won very nicely. With his pedigree, there is every chance he should stay the Derby trip if all goes well in the Guineas.
Betfred Oaks
Dreamy is a big price but could be an Oaks filly. She is a beautiful mile and a half filly, who could go for a trial at Chester or York. There is also Whirl who ran at the Curragh and who will be better going up in trip and Ballet Slippers, who is the first foal out of Magical and should also be suited by a step up in trip.
• Visit the Jockey Club website and the Betfred Guineas website
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