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O'Brien Bonanza to Continue in Railway Stakes
21/06/10
One of the strongest statistics in the racing game will be tested again at the Curragh this weekend when Aidan O'Brien seeks to win his 12th Group 2 Railway Stakes in the last 14 years, an extraordinary run of success, writes Elliot Slater.
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Such is O'Brien's dominance of the six furlong juvenile contest that he currently holds 17 of the 37 entries for the curtain raiser to the Irish Derby. That race follows half an hour later and has also proved something of a Ballydoyle benefit in recent years.
The list of winners to come from the O'Brien yard reads like a who's who of the last decade or so - Rock Of Gibraltar, Antonius Pius, George Washington, Holy Roman Emperor, Mastercraftsman, and last year Alfred Nobel. Anyone who follows Group 2 racing tips will tell you the question seems more which Ballydoyle horse will win than if Ballydoyle will win.
Of course, the most significant indication as to which of O'Brien's runners is considered the best of the bunch by the yard is jockey bookings. In particular, which horse will ridden by Johnny Murtagh. Usually, I prefer a little more substance to my UK racing tips, but I expect this one will stand up. On the face of it, there doesn't appear to be an outstanding candidate as both Samuel Morse and Zoffany had hard races at Royal Ascot last week and may well be rested.
However, I was quite taken with the winning performance of the filly Together, who seemed to have learned a great deal from her debut outing when winning very nicely at Leopardstown recently.
Backing blind and following statistics is normally a quick route to the poor house, but in this case, Johnny Murtagh's selected mount for Aidan O'Brien will be one to be on.
