O'Brien sniffs out rare Classic success

RACING:AFTER DRAWING a blank in the latest European Classic weekend, Aidan O'Brien sets his sights on New York this Saturday when Master Of Hounds targets a rare overseas success in the final leg of the American Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.

It is 21 years since Dermot Weld’s Go And Go became the sole European winner of a Triple Crown event in the USA when running away with the 1990 Belmont under Mick Kinane.

Go And Go memorably blew away that year’s Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled and Master Of Hounds will have to perform a similar feat if he is to become a much sought-after Classic winner for O’Brien outside of Ireland.

For the first time in the Belmont’s 143-year history, it looks like the first seven home in last month’s Kentucky Derby could line up this weekend, and that includes the Irish hope who ran an honourable fifth at Churchill Downs on what was his first attempt on a dirt surface.

The Derby hero Animal Kingdom was subsequently beaten in the Preakness at Pimlico by Shackleford and both of those colts are set to appear in the Belmont alongside the Derby runner-up Nehro and the rest of the cream of America’s Classic crop.

Top local rider Garrett Gomez was on board Master Of Hounds at Churchill Downs and will again take the mount on Saturday.

Master Of Hounds is as low as 6 to 1 with European bookmakers with hopes riding on the fact that the Belmont’s mile-and-a-half trip is an unusual stamina test for the top American runners.

O’Brien has won both Guineas races in Ireland in 2011 but his last Classic victory outside of home was when Yeats landed the 2008 French St Leger, the Prix Royal Oak. Earlier that year he also landed the English 2,000 Guineas with Henrythenavigator.

Last week’s Classic races in Britain and France brought more frustration with Treasure Beach and Wonder Of Wonders finishing runners-up in the Derby and Oaks at Epsom respectively, while the Irish Guineas winner Roderic O’Connor was unplaced in Sunday’s French Derby.

Ireland’s champion trainer has won some top Grade One events in the USA, including back-to-back renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Turf (2002-03) with High Chaparral. However, his last top-flight victory across the Atlantic was with Aussie Rules in the Shadwell Turf Mile in 2006.

Master Of Hounds will be his first Belmont Stakes runner and the colt will fly in late to New York, where his rivals are already settling in.

Animal Kingdom, trained by Englishman Graham Motion, arrived at the track on Sunday and immediately galloped on the dirt. Barry Irwin, head of the Team Valor syndicate that owns the colt, was impressed.

“He’s a lot fitter looking behind the saddle than he was before. His girth, he’s carrying such a great amount of weight for a horse that’s had this kind of hard racing; it’s hard to believe looking at him. Most horses that are in this grind, they’re showing signs of wear and tear, and this horse looks like a fresh horse still. He’s still a pretty eager horse,” he said to local reporters.

“It was a community decision to bring Animal Kingdom here early to train. I wanted to do it, Johnny Velazquez (jockey) did, I think Graham realises the importance of it. It’s a funny track, it’s a different track, it’s bigger, its wider, it’s longer. The lead changes are different, the surface is different, it’s looser, it’s like a beach,” Irwin added.