O’Brien eyeing Irish Guineas with Gstaad after gallant Newmarket effort
Aidan O'Brien on Gstaad: “He’s a big, powerful horse and with that type of horse they will only progress." Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.
Aidan O’Brien was heartened by Gstaad’s second-placed performance in the Betfred 2000 Guineas and will now turn his attentions to the Irish equivalent, where he could meet winner Bow Echo in a mouthwatering rematch.
The son of Starspangledbanner enjoyed a superb juvenile season, winning the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing runner-up in the Prix Morny, National Stakes and Dewhurst then capping the term with success in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
He was the 3-1 joint-favourite to take the opening Classic of the season on his first run of the year, and under Ryan Moore he found only George Boughey’s Bow Echo too good when missing out by two and three-quarters of a length, the pair miles clear of third home Distant Storm, who was the other joint-favourite.
“We thought he’d have no problem with the mile and we think he’d go further as well, we were delighted with the run,” said O’Brien, who had been forced to supplement his charge back into the colts’ Classic after he was taken out in error.
“He really saw it out and we thought he ran a great race, we were very happy.
“He did everything right and we couldn’t be happier. It was his first race of the year and to go out and do that was great, it was great to get him started.
“I think there were only a couple of lengths between them (Gstaad and Bow Echo) and then eight lengths back to the third.
“He’s a big, powerful horse and with that type of horse they will only progress.
“We’ve used this as a start and done our best to win it, but as the start of his three-year-old career we are delighted with that and I am delighted for George, he has done a wonderful job with his horse.”
The Irish Guineas appears to beckon for the colt, with O’Brien adding: “That (the Irish Guineas and the St James’s Palace) is probably what the lads are thinking, something like that.
“The Irish Guineas is always the next step from here and we are going to have to think about that and see how we progress from here.”
Charlie Appleby felt Distant Storm would take plenty from the run despite defeat.
He said: “He ran a good race and Will (Buick) feels that he will come forward a bit for that as well.
“We were a bit further behind the second Gstaad than we were in the Dewhurst, but Will was pleased and felt that he got a lovely run.
“Full credit to the winner – he routed them and they were going good honest fractions I felt.
“There is room for improvement there. The ground has been tight over the past couple of days, but everyone had to go on it and I think it was a usual first run of the season, not that you would ideally come into a Guineas needing a run, which he will naturally come forward from.”
