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O'Brien Still On Course To Break Group One Record
19/07/12
Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable go in search of further Group One success this weekend with runners in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday and the Irish Oaks at Leopardstown on Sunday as his bids to extend his tally of Group One wins for the season from 11 to 13.
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The champion Irish trainer's aim for the season is undoubtedly to surpass the 25 Group/Grade One wins achieved by the late Robert Frankel in America in 2003. It is quite fitting in hindsight that in tribute to the great American trainer, the Sir Henry Cecil trained Frankel was named after him but nobody could have predicted at birth that Frankel would become the highest rated thoroughbred in the world.
O’Brien’s best performance to date in a single season was the 23 Group One winners that he saddled in 2008 and he was close again twelve months ago reaching 20. However, 2012 looks to be his best chance yet given he is further ahead in terms of number of Group One wins at this stage in the season than any previous year.
O'Brien's chances of breaking the record were helped enormously with his English Classic Grand Slam success in May and June but a disappointing Royal Ascot where only So You Think added to the score set his target back a little. His quest was not helped by the subsequent injury and unexpected retirement to stud of So You Think. However, the Ballydoyle stable is not short of top level performers to support his bid.
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One of those defeats came in this race 12 months ago when Nathaniel won the race, four lengths ahead of St Nicholas Abbey in third. John Gosden's four year old re-opposes again on Saturday and is one of two vying to go off favourite along with the Sir Michael Stoute trained Sea Moon who was second to St Nicholas Abbey at the Breeders Cup meeting last November.
The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes does look a hot race and it would be no surprise to see any of the top three in the betting to come out on top and whilst St Nicholas Abbey does have something to find with Nathaniel, the two run off level weights this year after Gosden's entry was receiving the three year old allowance 12 months ago and on the back of his Coronation Cup victory, O'Brien looks to have a great chance of adding another Group One to his roll of honour for the season.
The bid for Group One win number 13 comes at Leopardstown on Sunday in the form of Was, who is a best price 3/1 with MansionBet to add the Irish Oaks to her English Oaks win last month. The daughter of Galileo bounced back from defeat in her seasonal debut to win at Epsom and the Oaks double has been her target ever since. More improvement is expected with Sunday being only the fourth career start for Was but she will have to find something to reverse the form with Dermot Weld's Princess Highway, who has Was 2 3/4 lengths back in third in a Group Three at Naas in May and cemented her promise when landing the Ribblesdale Stakes at Ascot last month. Add to the equation the John Gosden trained Great Heavens, full sister to Nathaniel and impressive winner of the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock a couple of weeks ago and O'Brien's runner has her work cut add to add to her trainers charge to re-write the history books but she is not without a chance.
Even if St Nicholas Abbey and Was fail to increase Aidan O'Brien's Group One tally this weekend, there are still a number of opportunities in both Europe and America for the 42 year old to add more winners at the highest level. His Group One wins so far in 2012 have come from Camelot (2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby), Power (Irish 2000 Guineas), So You Think (Prince of Wales's Stakes & Tattersalls Gold Cup), Imperial Monarch (Grand Prix de Paris), St Nicholas Abbey (Coronation Cup), Homecoming Queen (1000 Guineas), Was (Epsom Oaks) and Daddy Long Legs (UAE Derby).
