Aidan O’Brien runs three in Irish Champion Stakes
Such are the equine resources that Aidan O’Brien can call upon that he is able to withdraw a horse who would be a stable star just about anywhere else and still maintain his grip on a major prize.
O’Brien has pared down his five entries for the Group One Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown to three, which still means that the trainer still has half the six-runner field. Fame And Glory is the big-name defection as the trainer decided to withdraw the triple Group One winner, and Black Quartz at the 48-hour declaration stage. The other dropouts were Godolphin’s Cavalryman, who is expected to run in the Group One Grosser Preis von Baden in Germany on Sunday, and the Clive Cox-trained Poet, who was left out because of the ground at Leopardstown which is currently described as good to firm.
O’Brien relies on Rip Van Winkle (pictured), the winner of the Juddmonte International at York last month, and Cape Blanco, the Irish Derby winner, along with Beethoven, who is likely to be set pacemaking duties.
Stable jockey Johnny Murtagh has elected to ride Rip Van Winkle, with Seamus Heffernan riding Cape Blanco and O'Brien's son, Joseph, on Beethoven. The main danger to O’Brien’s hopes of a race that he won six times since 2000 could be from the Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over, who was beaten a half-length by Rip Van Winkle in the International. That colt’s owner, Khalid Abdullah, also has Famous Name, trained by Dermot Weld, in the line-up which is completed by Sea Lord.
The Cape Cross colt attempts to complete a meteoric rise for Mark Johnston having won a 0-90 handicap at Wolverhampton in late May. Sea Lord has won his last four starts making the move through the handicaps to win the totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood and then the Group Three Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury three weeks ago.
Despite being sponsored by Coolmore, O’Brien has not trained the winner of the other Group One race on the card, the Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes and he will be represented in this year’s renewal by Lillie Langtry.
Mick Channon’s Music Show – who will be ridden by Fran Berry, Spacious (James Fanshawe) and Jacqueline Quest (Cecil) make up the British-trained contingent but the interesting runner could be Dermot Weld's Bethrah, who will be making her first racecourse appearance since winning the Irish 1000 Guineas in May and is unbeaten in three starts this season.
O'Brien's Starspangledbanner is the top name in a 16-runner field for the feature race in Britain on Saturday, the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock. Starspangledbanner’s reputation took a slight knock when he finished second to Sole Power in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York a fortnight ago. That came when he was dropped in distance to five furlongs.
But prior to that Starspangledbanner, who will be ridden by Colm O'Donoghue, had won both the Golden Jubilee Stakes and July Cup over this distance of six furlongs. Equiano, a neck second in the July Cup, is a notable absentee but there are plenty of runners who Starspangledbanner has already raced, and beaten, in this field including Regal Parade, who was a nine-and-a-quarter-length 16th in the Golden Jubilee.
However the David Nicholls sprinter has hit top form since, winning the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month, and will be attempting to become the first horse to win successive Sprint Cup since Be Friendly in 1966-67.
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