Super Septimus goes the distance
Already responsible for the undisputed long-distance king, Yeats, O’Brien now has another powerful addition to those ranks as his four-year-old relished the step up to an extended two miles in this Group Two event.
Winner of last year’s Dante at this track, Septimus failed to see a racecourse after returning jarred up from his disappointing run in the Derby, but has looked as good as ever this summer.
A warm-up run at the Curragh was followed by his second in the Coronation Cup, after which he headed to the Ebor meeting and proved a cut above.
The 6-5 favourite cruised around the Knavesmire under Johnny Murtagh and was always in command after leading a furlong out, coming home a length clear of Balkan Knight, with Anna Pavlova the same distance back in third.
O’Brien said: “He was very sweet all the way and that was his first run back after a break, so there would be improvement to come.
“We gave him a break after the Coronation Cup to keep him fresh for an autumn campaign.
“He always looked like he was going to get further and he has all the options open now.
“He is a possible for the Melbourne Cup along with Yeats and Scorpion.”
Murtagh added: “He travelled great through the race. The ease in the ground suited him and he excelled over the distance.
“He got a bit jarred up in Epsom at the Derby so I suppose he likes a bit of juice in the ground. He’s also got speed and he’ll have no problem going back to a mile and six furlongs.”
