Abbey to run as four-year-old

RACING:EUROPE'S CHAMPION two-year-old of 2009, St Nicholas Abbey, will be prepared for a four-year-old campaign after Aidan O'Brien yesterday finally pulled stumps on hopes the colt might return to action before the end of this season.

The unbeaten juvenile has been seen just once in 2010 when a hugely disappointing sixth in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and injury prevented St Nicholas Abbey appearing in the Epsom Derby in June.

Amid much speculation that the colt would be retired, O’Brien prepared St Nicholas Abbey for a possible return in the Curragh’s Finale Stakes earlier this month only to rule that out a few days before the race. There had been hopes the horse might yet appear again in 2010 but O’Brien said yesterday: “He’s finished for this year and the plan is that he will race as a four-year-old. It has been frustrating and a pity but hopefully we will have the horse for next year.”

Ireland’s champion trainer plans to finalise plans for the Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky later this week but indicated yesterday that his Irish Cesarewitch winner, Bright Horizon, will take part in the Marathon at Churchill Downs.

Bright Horizon also holds an entry in Sunday’s Prix-Royal Oak at Longchamp, a race where the ex-Ballydoyle Flying Cross, third in last month’s Irish Leger, could run for his new trainer John Gosden.

However, it will be the USA rather than France that will see Bright Horizon next and O’Brien said: “We will be looking at Breeders’ Cup plans overall this week.” Together in the Juvenile Fillies Turf is also a likely Ballydoyle starter on November 6th.

Sunday’s Grade Three feature at Galway will be the Barna Waste Ballybrit Novice Chase for which nine entries remain after yesterday’s forfeit stage. They include the Noel Meade duo Realt Dubh, an impressive winner at Navan last month, and Darceys Dancer who was runner-up to Loosen My Load in a Grade Three at Punchestown last week.

Another trainer doubly represented is John Kiely who has both Taking Stock and Head Of The Posse engaged.

The going at Galway yesterday was good with good to firm patches. However, heavy rain is forecast for Friday.

The Listener has been a regular visitor to Ireland over the last number of years and the 11-year-old grey is set to make a return from a tendon injury in December’s John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.

Nick Mitchell’s grey won the race in 2007, one of four Grade One victories for him in Ireland, and is pleasing in his preparation for a first run in over a year.

“The leg looks fine and if things go well he should be ready in time for the John Durkan. He will be 11 but he has only had 28 races and has never been abused,” Mitchell said yesterday.

“We’ll keep sending him to Ireland for the ground, especially now. When he was younger we were inclined to take a chance on quicker ground even though we knew he couldn’t win because his options were so few and far between. But not anymore,” he added.