Enigmatic George’s return will be fascinating
The likes of Dylan Thomas, Yeats and Alexandrova give Ballydoyle a particularly strong hand and then, of course, there is the enigmatic George Washington, now in training again.
“It’s lovely to have George back,” said O’Brien. “He got six mares in foal and there is a 30% chance he may get sorted for next year.”
For now, however, O’Brien has the unenviable task, perhaps, of getting the strong-willed son of Danehill, who tried his trainer’s patience more than once in the past, back onto the racecourse. “We will have to get his mind unravelled first,” said O’Brien.
“He really went the right way at the end of last season. It will be interesting to see how he will take to the whole thing, what he will do now.”
George Washington was simply brilliant, when on song, producing two magnificent performances in the English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes at Ascot.
His return is going to be fascinating, how this highly-strung character reacts to being asked to race again, as against the delights of stallion duty.
Dylan Thomas has been kept in training and should be set for a lucrative year. He was a high-class three-year-old, finishing third to Sir Percy in the Epsom Derby, easily winning the Irish equivalent at the Curragh and beating Ouija Board in a memorable Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
“He could start off in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh,” reported O’Brien. “He loves good ground and gets a mile and a half well.
“If the ground was good, and he gets that far, then the Arc could be his target. I've never won the Arc.”
Superb mare Alexandrova is another smashing four-year-old who has remained in training. Her record speaks for itself, winning three Oaks last season, the English at Epsom, Irish at the Curragh and Yorkshire at York.
Commented O’Brien: “She will start off in the Pretty Polly at the Curragh on Derby weekend. She is coming to hand too quickly and would be ready to run tomorrow!”
Yeats, now a six-year-old, is being geared at the Ascot Gold Cup, which he won in tremendous style last year. He finished with a seventh place in the Melbourne Cup. “The plan is to go back to Ascot and he won’t run before that,” said O’Brien. “He could go back to Melbourne too.”
There are over 80 two-year-olds at Ballydoyle, the vast majority as yet unnamed. Three colts to note are a High Chapparal out of Mountain Holly, a Kingmambo-Dietrich and Johannesburg-Saratoga Honey.
The High Chapparal is “very precocious and shows us a lot,” said O’Brien.
