02-06-2025
Aidan O'Brien suffers huge Royal Ascot blow as ‘very special' horse ruled out
The Ballydoyle trainer has been assembling his usual team of top talents but one of the most exciting, the unbeaten two-year-old Albert Einstein, will not run
A new young Aidan O'Brien star has been ruled out of Royal Ascot. Albert Einstein, a home-bred son of Wootton Bassett who is from the family of 'Iron Horse' Giant's Causeway, has already become a Ballydoyle talking horse two races into his career.
He scored at odds of 1-2 on his debut at Naas last month. Then two weeks later he opened his account at Pattern level when he landed the Group 3 Marble Hall Stakes at the Curragh, under Ryan Moore, going off at 4-11.
The victory cemented his status as the one to beat in the Coventry Stakes at the royal meeting as his odds were cut to as low as 11-10 for the meeting's premier two-year-old race.
O'Brien did not disguise his admiration of Albert Einstein after the race. 'We always thought he was very special,' he said.
'He's probably as fast a horse as we've ever seen work. We thought at home that he would be fine at six, seven or a mile and he still could be but Ryan said he's very quick.
'The plan was to come here and go to the Coventry. Hopefully he comes out of it well and his mind goes the right way. He's just a very, very fast horse.
'I'd say there is a lot to come the way he behaves. He was strong enough today. In Ascot you'd like him to gear down a little bit early and that means he'll have more at the end.
'The only thing thats going to do that is racing and hopefully everything will go well when he goes back."
He continued: 'He's very exciting. From the first day he worked we always felt he was very different. He's 540kgs for a two-year-old and he doesn't look that big but he's just physically very strong.'
However O'Brien confirmed on Tuesday that punters will have to wait for Albert Einstein's next racecourse appearance as he ruled him off the Royal Ascot trail.
A statement posted by Coolmore said: 'Gr.3 Marble Hill Stakes winner Albert Einstein unfortunately will not run at Royal Ascot due to a sprained joint. He will have an easy three weeks.'
