Midas Touch returns for Aidan O’Brien
After a period when reasons to smile were slightly more scarce than hens’ teeth, the irony may not have been lost on Aidan O’Brien.
Midas touch would be an appropriate description of much of the trainer’s career. From his early days when he dominated the Irish jumping scene, through the transition to taking over the Ballydoyle stable from Vincent O’Brien and the years of success that have brought 160 Group One winners.
That staggering figure is even more reason to find the current ones surrounding O’Brien’s start to this season all the more surprising. O’Brien has sent out more than 30 runners to run in Group races in Britain and Ireland this season and the victory of Midas Touch at Leopardstown, in the Group Two Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, was only the second winner that he has to show for all that high-priced horsepower.
This was an eighth success in the race for O’Brien and both Galileo, in 2001 and High Chaparral the following year won this race en-route to victory in the Derby but any ripples that Midas Touch may have made in the Derby market probably speak more of the inconclusive nature of many of the recent trials races that have mainly failed to offer much in the way of compelling evidence.
Midas Touch (pictured right) was held up at the back of the four-runner field by Johnny Murtagh as stable companion At First Sight set the pace. He was perhaps 10 lengths off the lead at halfway but made up ground on the home turn as Address Unknown took the lead with one-a-half-furlongs to run.
The winner was driven upsides by Murtagh but then pulled two lengths clear at the line. However it was with more of a reliance on a relentless stride - the time was the fastest recorded for over 20 years - than an explosive change of pace. But O’Brien appeared happy enough and confirmed that the colt was on the team for Epsom.
Quoted on the BBC website O’Brien said: “The horses have been very behind but we are getting there. It has been a very bad winter and the last few years we have been slow to start, but perhaps this year has been slower than previous years.”
“It was his first run and he was just ready to come and start, he'll come on a good bit for the run.”
Given the number of runners that O’Brien had thrown at the Derby in recent seasons – he provided six of the 12 runners last year – he is likely to be looking for other options to add to the likes of St Nicholas Abbey, who finished sixth in the 2000 Guineas on his first start of the season.
On his final run of last season Midas Touch finished five-and-three-quarter lengths fourth to Jan Vermeer in the Group One Criterium International. There are no final plans for Jan Vermeer but the choice is now between a possible run in the Irish 2000 Guineas, at the Curragh on May 22nd, as a prep run for the Derby or straight to the Prix Du Jockey-Club at Chantilly on June 13th.
The other colts who will be trying for a place on the plane to Epsom will be Viscount Nelson and Cape Blanco who could be running in the totesport.com Dante Stakes at York on Thursday. “The plan is for Cape Blanco to go to the Dante,” he said. “He caught his heel when cantering this morning, but I hope it is going to be nothing and he is another who will come on for the run.
“St Nicholas Abbey is in good form, he's not done anything since Newmarket and he will begin his Derby build-up this week.”
One reassuring aspect for O’Brien was that Midas Touch was the first horse that the trainer had run in a Group race who had won first time out, which has to be taken as a positive sign – the more so following the death of Captain James Cook at Lingfield Park on Saturday and Rocket Man, who returned lame after being well backed and well beaten in the Chester Vase last Thursday.
Another sign of the present times at Ballydoyle was that Murtgah was not riding either of O’Brien’s runners - Queen Of Troy or Full Of Hope - in the Group Three Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial. Instead he rode the joint-favourite Picture Perfect, trained by David Wachman and owned by Michael Tabor, but managed only fifth behind Dermot Weld’s Bethrah, who will run next in the Guineas itself.
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