O'Brien tries again

Racing News and Navan preview: Aidan O'Brien has failed to hit the Group One mark overseas with his juveniles so far this season…

Racing News and Navan preview: Aidan O'Brien has failed to hit the Group One mark overseas with his juveniles so far this season but Antonius Pius and Troubadour could remedy that in Saturday's Dewhurst Stakes.

Both colts are likely runners in Britain's premier two-year-old race and O'Brien said yesterday: "We could run more than Troubadour and Antonius Pius. Nothing has been confirmed yet."

The seven-furlong event is turning into a potentially hot contest with Middle Park winner Three Valleys and Champagne victor Lucky Story also set to run.

Top level success for O'Brien has come in Ireland with One Cool Cat in both the Phoenix Stakes and National Stakes. Necklace also won the Moyglare.

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O'Brien also confirmed yesterday that High Chaparral would try to repeat last year's success in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Saturday week.

His other Breeders' Cup runners will be Statue Of Liberty (mile), Grand Reward and Old Deuteronomy in the Juvenile and Hold That Tiger in the Classic.

O'Brien's focus today, however, will be on Navan's all-flat card which sees him introduce newcomers in both divisions of the fillies maiden and the four-year-old Sahara Desert goes in the nine-furlong conditions race.

Multazem, successful last time out, could relish the easier ground conditions more than Sahara Desert and the Dermot Weld-Pat Smullen team could also score with the Sadler's Wells newcomer Lisieux Orchid.

O'Brien's Shangri La has her first start since April and the maiden looks hers for the taking.

Miss Leading is a stone higher in the ratings after a Down Royal success on firm ground but the College Chappel filly should be just at home in the forecast "good to yielding" in the first.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column