St Nicholas Abbey to face eight rivals in Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup at Epsom
Aidan O'Brien's five-year-old, St Nicholas Abbey, is all set to face eight dangerous rivals in this year’s Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup, scheduled to take place at Epsom next month.
The 5-year-old has not been in winning mood since the start of this season, but his connections believe that the horse will be able to defend his title.
After winning the Coronation Cup last year, he lost his rhythm for a while, doing nothing special in the following three races. Yet, that did not dent his confidence, as he signed out his 2011 campaign on a winning note.
St Nicholas Abbey went on a lay-off following his Group One success at Churchill Downs in November last year. Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf saw him winning the first prize quite easily. Despite a not-so-impressive start, he kept his cool and improved
his work significantly afterwards.
In the final stages of the race, the dashing runner was super impressive and a result, topped the chart by two and a quarter lengths. After a decent break, the Derrick Smith-owned made his comeback at the end of March, when he missed the crown by ¼ a length
in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic Presented By Longines.
The 9-4 favourite had every chance of pocketing the big prize, but failed terribly. Consequently, he finished second behind Mme C. Barande-Barbe’s charge, Cirrus Des Aigles. Luck kept twisting against his favour, when he ran in the Group 3 High Chaparral
European Breeders Fund Mooresbridge Stakes at Curragh.
He once again failed to add the winning touch and missed the top prize by a length’s distance. After a couple of unlucky outings, St Nicholas Abbey’s prime object is to break the shackles and defend his title at Epsom.
The 1m4f10y event is scheduled to take place this Saturday. Among St Nicholas Abbey’s rivals are: Beaten Up, Masked Marvel, Monterosso, Quest For Peace, Red Cadeaux, Robin Hood, Treasure Beach and Windsor Palace.
A. P. O´Brien will be represented by four contestants, but St Nicholas Abbey seems to be his main hope. On the other hand, Monterosso is h**l-bent to continue his winning journey after an excellent World Cup win.
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