King George
“He’s special, a very fast horse’, said Aidan O’Brien. “But obviously it is a worry whether he will stay a mile. His sire, Danehill, wouldn’t be a big influence for stamina.”
Third on his debut at Newmarket in early May, George Washington then reeled of four straight wins and retired to winter quarters the clear favourite for the first classic of the campaign.
He put up a particularly breathtaking performance in the Group One Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August when scoring by eight lengths, a remarkable distance in a six furlongs event.
He rounded off his juvenile career with a two lengths victory in another Group One at the Curragh, the National Stakes.
That was over seven furlongs and seemed to augur well for his prospects of lasting out a mile. And yet the doubts persist.
“He is brilliant and arrogant and they often come together in horses. He has loads of arrogance, said O’Brien.
“He looks down on everybody and every other horse. It’s part of his make-up and what makes him so good.
“He has shown such pace, I have never had a miler with so much speed. He barely hits the ground, front and back, it’s his rhythm which gets him there.
“I have always felt if he gets a mile he will be doing well. Last year we never worked him beyond five furlongs. This season he will work over six furlongs, maybe six and a half, and we will take the rest on trust.”
Ballydoyle, of course, is also home to the current Epsom Derby favourite Horatio Nelson.
He is by Danehill as well and is the first foal out of Imagine, who won the Irish 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks for O’Brien in 2001.
He is described by his handler as a “definite possible” for the 2000 Guineas. “He has a very relaxed manner,” said O’Brien.
He went from strength to strength last season, finishing with an unlucky neck second to Sir Percy in the Dewhurst at Newmarket.
Horatio Nelson failed to find a gap for Kieren Fallon over a furlong down and by the time he was extricated the bird had literally flown.
Previously, he had been hugely impressive when landing the Group One Grand Criterium at Longchamp on Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe afternoon.
“He could be our Derby horse, Kieren (Fallon) is always raving about him for the Derby,” said O’Brien.
“If he goes to Newmarket for the Guineas then it would be directly to Epsom after that. But another possible route would be the Ballysax Stakes and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.”
O’Brien admitted to being delighted with the improvement Horatio Nelson has made from two to three.
“He has done well physically and put on 55 kilos over the winter. It is starting to come back down now. You need to mature early and progress from there and I think that’s what he’s doing.
“He has natural speed and balance. We didn’t miss him last season and he’s still smiling at us. He’s a hard, tough customer.”
Art Museum, a son of Storm Cat and unbeaten in his two races last season, is clearly very highly regarded. He won his maiden cosily at the Curragh and then successfully stepped into Listed company, back at the Curragh, with a smooth success in the Blenheim Stakes.
“He’s tough and relaxed and runs with his head out,” said O’Brien. “All the things about him are in the mould of Giant’s Causeway. Hopefully, he will stay a mile and could get ten furlongs. He is another possibility for the 2000 Guineas.”
Among the fillies, Rumplestiltskin leads the way for the 1000 Guineas. She produced a stunning performance at Longchamp in October, sweeping through in the closing stages to land the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac.
“She’s in good shape,” said O’Brien. “She’s a little bit tricky and has to come late. I am not sure about her getting an Oaks trip, but races like the Irish 1000 Guineas and Royal Ascot would be on the agenda.”
Other fillies well worth noting are Race For The Stars, winner of a Listed event on her final outing as a two-year-old at Newmarket, and Alexandrova.
The latter, a daughter of Sadler’s Wells, could step up the plate as the Ballydoyle main hope for the Epsom Oaks! “She’s an Oaks-type filly,” confirmed O’Brien. “Kieren liked her at Newmarket last season. We usually take our Oaks fillies to the Irish 1000 Guineas, but I don’t think she will run in that. She will appreciate ease in the ground.”
You suspect, however, that the real Ballydoyle power is going to come from the three-year-old colts. Besides George Washington, Horatio Nelson and Art Museum there is a wealth of other talent, much of it totally untapped, just waiting for the ground to firm up and be let loose.
Frost Giant, a son of Giant’s Causeway and easy winner of a Group Three at Leopardstown on his second appearance last season, is near the top of the list.
“He’s going real nice and has done particularly well,” smiled O’Brien.
Then there’s Road To Mandalay, “a lovely moving horse,” Hitchcock, “Kieren loved him last season”, and Benjamin Franklin, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he took higher honours as the season progressed.”
You can add in the likes of Aussie Rules, Fire And Rain, Dylan Thomas and Pescatorio, an unraced son of Storm Cat. O’Brien said of Pescatorio: “Kieren has always liked him, he’s fairly straight and ready to go.”
Included in a handful of older horses are Scorpion, Yeats, Ace and Ad Valorem and there are between 80-85 two-year-olds on sight as well.
O’Brien knows there is, potentially, tremendous depth to his squad, but is utterly realistic. He’s been down this road before and is well aware of the pitfalls. “You would be hoping there’s a nice team here’, he said with typical understatement. “No one knows what’s round the corner and I am approaching this season very cautiously.
“I’m never optimistic, just hopeful. But I have often had worse horses at this time of year!”
