O'Brien confirms five for Breeders' Cup

Aidan O’Brien today confirmed he will have five runners at the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Santa Anita in California next Saturday.

They are High Chaparral in the Turf, Hold That Tiger in the Classic, Statue Of Liberty in the Mile and both Yesterday and L’Ancresse in the Filly and Mare Turf.

With the strength in depth of the Ballydoyle juveniles open to question this season, O’Brien will not be taking up the option to send Old Deuteronomy and Grand Reward to Santa Anita.

A decision is expected at the beginning of the week on whether stable jockey Michael Kinane will ride Hold That Tiger, who was partnered by Edgar Prado when second to Mineshaft in the Woodward Stakes at Belmont in New York last month.

L’Ancresse’s late addition to the squad comes after she ran out a decisive winner of a Listed race at the Curragh last weekend, after which she was due to retire.

“She came out of the race well and we decided to let her take her chance,” said O’Brien.

Ballydoyle will be represented by Magritte, the mount of Jamie Spencer, in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on the same day as the Breeders’ Cup.

O’Brien won the two feature races at Naas today.

Colossus readily defied top weight in the Derrinstown Stud EBF Birdcatcher Nursery for Seamus Heffernan, backed from 3-1 to 9-4 favourite, and In The Limelight made all to land the Listed Ali Retza/Mamadi Soudavar EBF Garnet Stakes by a short head from Conspiring.

In The Limelight was ridden by Pat Cosgrave, who was partnering his first Ballydoyle winner and drew level with Cathy Gannon in the apprentice championship in the process. Both have ridden 27 winners.