O'Brien wary over Camelot

CAMELOT IS a heavy odds-on shot to complete the English Triple Crown in Saturday’s Doncaster St Leger but trainer Aidan O’Brien is being typically cautious about his unbeaten colt’s challenge.

“The distance is different – it’s nearly two miles and there’s no doubt about it, they nearly have to be a Gold Cup horse to get that trip in our experience,” O’Brien said yesterday.

“When they go beyond that mile and a half, that’s when the real stamina must kick in. He’s not a horse who fluctuated much in his weight but he’s going to be a bit heavier than in any of his other races. When you’re a three-year-old, your weight doesn’t change much early on, but as they start to mature into a four-year-old later on, it can.

“Stayers don’t build up as much as middle-distance horses, but he’s not long or lean, he’s round and strong. He’s built like a miler,” the trainer added.

O’Brien reported tension at his Ballydoyle base surrounding the Triple Crown attempt but described Camelot as a horse “like no other.” He also indicated the son of Montjeu could stay in training as a four-year-old.

“Before, it was make a stallion and get him off quick,” O’Brien said. “Now it’s make a stallion and expose him – push him a bit. People want to see horses being tested, expose their weaknesses and their strengths.”

The Ballydoyle trainer has also left in Imperial Monarch at Doncaster but suggested a trip to Canada could be in the offing for the Grand Prix de Paris winner.