O'Brien hopes for dawn of Aquarius
Aidan O’Brien is looking to Age Of Aquarius to fill the huge void left by the legendary Yeats in tomorrow’s Ascot Gold Cup.
Now retired, Yeats reinvigorated the staying division by winning the last four renewals, creating history in the process.
O’Brien knows it would be folly to expect another one anywhere near as good as him, but in Age Of Aquarius the Ballydoyle handler believes he could have the right type to excel in the marathon test.
“He has a lot of class and we always thought he could be a Cup horse. He handles fast ground, is a very determined horse and has a high cruising speed,” said O’Brien.
“He had a pretty easy time last year and we were really looking forward to this year.
“He ran at Chester and at Leopardstown and we were very happy with both runs. We’re really looking forward to running him.
“The thing about the Gold Cup – and we tried to win it a lot of years before Yeats came along – is that very few horses have that kind of class and ability to stay the trip.
“Before they run in it you have no idea whether they will stay or not. Once a year is enough to ask them, but you don’t really know until they get out there.
“A lot of things can happen from when they turn in and the winning post.
“Yeats was an incredible horse, you only get a horse like him once in a lifetime, but he’s doing great at stud.
“He had speed, class and stamina – he had everything and he could be an amazing stallion.”
Manifest burst onto the staying scene with an eight-length romp in the Yorkshire Cup, but goes into unknown territory as he bids to give trainer Henry Cecil a sixth win in the race.
The four-year-old has to travel an extra three-quarters of a mile, although connections are hopeful his stamina will last out.
“Obviously we are going into the unknown in terms of distance,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah.
“The horse has been in good form and we are hopeful he will stay. He certainly looked like the further he was going the better he was going to be at York, but two and a half miles is a totally new venture for him.
“We’re hopeful and he seems to have done everything right since York.”
Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor has a good record in the race having won it four times with Classic Cliche (1996), Kayf Tara (1998, 2000) and Papineau (2004).
This year he has two solid chances with last season’s St Leger runner-up Kite Wood and Cesarewitch winner Darley Sun.
Both have only run once this year, with Kite Wood scoring in good style in France and Darley Sun finishing third in the Henry II Stakes on his first start for the stable.
“Kite Wood won a Group Two over a mile and seven furlongs in France and he has been in good form since that race,” said bin Suroor.
“He handled that distance well and I think he will stay the Gold Cup trip as long as he settles.
“Ideally, he would like some cut underfoot but the ground at Royal Ascot on Tuesday was fine and he will be OK provided the going is good and safe.
“It looks an open renewal and we are looking to see him go close.
“Darley Sun also ran well on his seasonal return in one of the best trials for the Gold Cup.
“He is doing very well in his work and I think that this is the right race for him – he will get the distance and he will have no problem with a faster surface,” he told www.godolphin.com.
Bin Suroor added: ``Kite Wood has been working really well since his first run but he needs to settle.
“Usually he sweats a lot but tomorrow we need to see him dry and happy, that’s important for him.
“Even though Yeats isn’t there this year the Gold Cup is a very good race, there’s some good horses there.
“Kite Wood has the class, he was second in the St Leger last year and is a Group Two winner this year. We know Darley Sun has the stamina because he’s won the Cesarewitch and he ran a really nice race first time out, but he’ll need to improve to win the Gold Cup.”
