AIDAN O'BRIEN will be hoping Friday's Darley July Cup at Newmarket will be a "lucky 13" after Mount Nelson's Eclipse Stakes victory at the weekend secured the champion trainer a 12th Group One prize of the year.
It continued the remarkable hot-streak enjoyed by O'Brien and jockey John Murtagh this season, and already there has been speculation that O'Brien's record 2001 tally of 23 Group One prizes may be in jeopardy.
The Ballydoyle trainer's next top-flight target will be at Newmarket's July meeting, which begins on Wednesday and culminates in Friday's July Cup, which is Europe's most valuable sprint.
O'Brien has won it twice - Stravinsky (1999) and Mozart (2001) - and has five of the 21 entries remaining in the race after yesterday's declaration stage.
As expected, last year's winner, Sakhee's Secret, is not among the 21, and the Golden Jubilee winner Kingsgate Native is heading the ante-post betting at a general 7 to 2.
The Irish quintet include US Ranger and Jupiter Pluvius, who figure in ante-post betting, as well as Georgebernardshaw, Abraham Lincoln and the Greenlands winner Astronomer Royal.
Bookmakers fear US Ranger in particular, and Paddy Power said yesterday:
"He is the horse we are very afraid of. Aidan's horses are virtually unbeatable in the top races at the moment and US Ranger is bound to be a big loser (for the bookies) on the day."
The July meeting's other Group One prize is Wednesday's Falmouth Stakes, for which Jim Bolger has the option of running both Finsceal Beo or the dual Group One-winning three-year-old Saoirse Abu.
O'Brien's two-year-olds drew a blank at the Royal Ascot festival last month, but he will be hoping that changes this week with two entries - Grand Ducal and Peter Tchaikovsky - in Friday's Group Two Superlative Stakes.
Dermot Weld was out of luck in the US on Saturday night when his Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes third Carribean Sunset could only manage fourth place in the €480,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.
Pat Smullen had to settle for those minor honours on the Irish filly who finished behind the American horse Pure Clan, who maintained her unbeaten record on turf with a three-quarters-of-a-length victory over the French runner Satan's Circus.
Pure Clan also has high-class form on dirt, having run third in the Kentucky Oaks in May.
John Murtagh has had a busy weekend, and after riding in yesterday's German Derby in Hamburg he goes to Roscommon this evening where his rides include Arkadina in the Listed Lenebane Stakes.
Aidan O'Brien runs four three-year-olds in this who all race off 8.7st, while Pat Smullen is back from America to ride Unwritten Rule in the race.
Topping the weights is the course winner Red Moloney on 10st, but Kevin Prendergast's tough four-year-old still has a major shout in this.
His versatility in terms of ground conditions will be important, and a fourth to Septimus in the Curragh Cup last time indicates he is keeping his form well.
Murtagh's big shout this evening, however, could come in the opening juvenile maiden on the Ballydoyle hope Drumbeat, who ran a fine debut at the Curragh over the Derby weekend.
The Montjeu colt ran third to Tomas An Tsioda and his stable companion Rip Van Winkle in a hot maiden. And he looked a certain future winner on that occasion.
Confirmation of that can come today.
Ruby Walsh teams up with Eoin Griffin for Lucky Wish in the maiden hurdle, and this one's bumper from behind Zaarito and Corskeagh Royale from last season is hard to ignore in this company.
