logo
O'Brien has Champions Weekend in mind for Montreal

O'Brien has Champions Weekend in mind for Montreal

Aidan O'Brien's superbly-bred Sea The Stars colt stepped up markedly on his debut effort, putting his race to bed in a matter of strides for Wayne Lordan.
He holds an entry in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on September 14 over seven furlongs, while the day-earlier KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes over a mile could also come into the equation back at Leopardstown.
'He'd improved from his debut at Leopardstown when he was very green and finished third,' said O'Brien.
'We like him and he showed what we thought he might when he wasn't as green, he was impressive.
'I think he could go back to Leopardstown on Champions Weekend, something like that might be next.'
O'Brien also confirmed the departure of two smart three-year-olds from his ranks, with Irish Derby runner-up Serious Contender sold to race in Hong Kong and Hampton Court Stakes winner Trinity College also on the move.
The trainer said: 'Serious Contender's form is excellent and obviously we're sorry to see him go. He's a good horse and will do very well.
'We thought he couldn't get beat in Ascot (when second to Merchant) and then the one that beat us was entered in the King George.
'Trinity College has gone to Australia.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lambourn still ‘definitely' in the Voltigeur mix, says O'Brien
Lambourn still ‘definitely' in the Voltigeur mix, says O'Brien

The Herald Scotland

timean hour ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Lambourn still ‘definitely' in the Voltigeur mix, says O'Brien

For a long time another Classic bid in the St Leger at Doncaster seemed likely, but with stablemate Scandinavia throwing his hat into that particular ring with victory in the Goodwood Cup, Lambourn may instead be bound for Paris and a tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Lambourn digs deep in the closing stages to become a dual Derby winner for @Ballydoyle Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien — The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) June 29, 2025 When asked whether Lambourn could step back to Group Two level on the Knavesmire, O'Brien told Sky Sports Racing: 'He could, we've a lot of horses kind of ready for the Voltigeur, some are just about ready and some are probably not going to make it. 'Lambourn definitely could. We'll see how he is and his next target then can be either the Leger or the Arc. I think the lads are thinking Scandinavia is going to be trained for the Leger now – if the ground was nice he would go there and Lambourn wouldn't go there, but if it was the other way Lambourn would go there. 'Lambourn probably needs a race between now and the Leger or the Arc and it (Great Voltigeur) is a race that could suit him. 'He's a straightforward, honest, no-nonsense horse. He does what he has to do and doesn't do any more.' Another Ballydoyle inmate with Arc aspirations is last year's third Los Angeles, who made an excellent start to his campaign with successive wins at the Curragh but could finish only fifth as a hot favourite for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. Los Angeles and Ryan Moore after winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Niall Carson/PA) Having since enjoyed a mid-season break, he is set to return to competitive action in the Newbridge Silverware Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday. 'We were thinking he could go to the Royal Whip and go and improve a lot,' O'Brien added. 'He's had a break since Ascot and we were thinking if he went to the Curragh this weekend he could go to the Prix Foy as an Arc trial or he could go to the Irish Champion Stakes as an Arc trial. 'All those things are open, but he's just starting back and he'll be running with no pressure win, lose or draw (this weekend). We'd just like to get a run into him to get him ready for the autumn. 'The Arc has been his target all the time. We tightened him up a bit too much in the Prince of Wales's Stakes and because of that he just had to have a little rest. He's come back happy, but will progress a lot before the Arc.' O'Brien also had news of Henri Matisse, last seen finishing third in the Sussex Stakes behind shock 150-1 winner Qirat. O'Brien said: 'He'll go probably for the Prix du Moulin. Goodwood was a little bit of a disaster – it was really only a four-furlong dash in the second half of the race. 'It was one of those races that is hard to work out, but we were very happy with the run, Ryan (Moore) was very happy with him and we think he's still progressing. 'We haven't seen the best of him yet, we think.'

‘Very classy' Aidan O'Brien superstar Camille Pissarro retired with immediate effect in huge blow to iconic trainer
‘Very classy' Aidan O'Brien superstar Camille Pissarro retired with immediate effect in huge blow to iconic trainer

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

‘Very classy' Aidan O'Brien superstar Camille Pissarro retired with immediate effect in huge blow to iconic trainer

'VERY CLASSY' Aidan O'Brien superstar Camille Pissarro has been retired with immediate effect. The French Derby winner injured his leg when finishing fourth to Delacroix in last month's Coral-Eclipse. 1 The news comes as it was confirmed O'Brien's multiple Group 2 winner Diego Velazquez would be retired at the end of the season. Three-year-old colt Camille Pissarro was entered for October's Arc de Triomphe, where he was a 33-1 chance. His career ends with three wins from 11 runs and more than £1.1million in prize money. According to a post on X from the Racing Post, Camille Pissarro suffered a hairline fracture to his fetlock, which is a bit like a horse's ankle. He was beaten just two-and-a-half lengths by Delacroix, who nutted Ombudsman in an all-time Sandown thriller. Those two will lock horns again in next Wednesday's blockbuster Juddmonte at York. Jockey Christophe Soumillon reported after the Coral-Eclipse that Camille Pissarro had hung left-handed on the run-in. While a vet confirmed afterwards that the colt had lost his left-fore shoe. A Group 1 winner of the Jean-Luc Lagardere last season, Camille Pissarro, a son of Wootton Bassett, returned from a 174-day break to finish a half-length second to Big Gossey at the Curragh in March. He then went down just other a length to stablemate Henri Matisse when finishing third in the French 2000 Guineas in two months later. He proved he was good enough to mix at the top table again though when showing a rapid turn of foot to claim the £700,000 first-place prize in the French Derby over 1m2f on June 1. O'Brien, who has seen two big-name horses removed from his yard in recent days, said after that win: "I'm delighted for everyone. "Ryan (Moore, jockey) gave Camille Pissarro an incredible ride. "Christophe was delighted with him the last day and told us to come here with him, and what a ride Ryan gave him. "He's a very classy horse. He was obviously a Group 1 winner on Arc day last year. "It was a great run in the French 2,000 Guineas last time behind Henri Matisse, so to come back and do this is incredible. "It's a difficult race to win because you need a horse with a lot of speed, and they have to get a mile and a quarter, but it's a very important race and it makes him a very important horse now." . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:

Aidan O'Brien ‘very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York
Aidan O'Brien ‘very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York

The Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Sun

Aidan O'Brien ‘very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York

AIDAN O'BRIEN is 'very sweet' on a little-known horse who's halved in price for the £500,000 Ebor at York. The blockbuster 1m6f handicap is the feature race of the Ebor meeting and will be run live on ITV1 on Saturday week. Willie Mullins currently has the 7-2 favourite in the shape of recent Galway winner Hipop De Loire. But as good as Mullins is at targeting Flat races with his dual purpose stars, no one can match O'Brien. That being said, it's the Group races he gobbles up. O'Brien has won the Ebor only once, when three-year-old Mediterranean held on under Mick Kinane to win at 16-1 24 years ago. He's drawn a blank since then, with Mullins winning it twice and fellow Irish jumps trainers Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead getting involved too. Mullins has a strong hand this year with Ethical Diamond also short in the betting. But one who is continually being clipped is O'Brien's London City, who has been slashed from 20-1 to as short as 10s. A son of Justify, the four-year-old colt is out of O'Brien's multiple Group 1-winning mare Winter. He already has a win at York to his name, winning a Class 3 handicap over 1m4f on the Knavesmire in May last year. A disappointing run at Listed level the following month came before a 372-day break. London City was again down the field in a big handicap at the Curragh in June but caught the eye at Group 2 level when last seen. In the rear throughout under Ronan Whelan, the 33-1 grey was miles out of it at the weights but gained some ground late on to finish sixth in a 1m6f race won by Group 1 winner Al Riffa. London City is set to carry 9st8lb in the Ebor - 2lb less than Hipop De Loire - and looks open to any amount of improvement. Indeed, a recent Sporting Life article said O'Brien was 'very sweet' on his chances during a recent yard visit. Sky Bet Ebor odds via Sky Bet 3-1 Hipop De Loire 8-1 French Master, Ethical Diamond 11-1 London City 14-1 Shadow Dance 20-1 French Duke, Aeronautic, Mr Percy, Dancing In Paris, Nurburgring 25-1 bar Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store