AIDAN O’BRIEN is set to have four representatives in next week’s Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky and can make the transatlantic raid in Group One form if Roderic O’Connor wins tomorrow’s Criterium-International at Saint-Cloud, writes Brian O’Connor.
Johnny Murtagh travels to the Paris track to ride the Dewhurst runner-up who is as low as 10 to 1 for both next year’s 2,000 Guineas and Derby.
Roderic O’Connor faces nine opponents in tomorrow’s €250,000 contest over a mile which O’Brien has won twice, with Mount Nelson (2006) and Jan Vermeer last year.
“He seems to have come out of Newmarket well. You’re never sure until they run over it, but the mile shouldn’t be a problem,” O’Brien said.
The main opposition includes the Tattersalls Stakes winner Rerouted (Barry Hills), as well as French Navy, who won the Group Three Prix des Chenes for Andre Fabre on his last start.
Colm O’Donoghue rode Jan Vermeer to victory 12 months ago and he will be back at Saint-Cloud tomorrow to ride O’Brien’s Devoted To You in the Group Three Prix Perth.
John Oxx is represented by Keredari, who returned to action by chasing home Emulous in the Concorde Stakes at Tipperary earlier this month.
O’Brien is also putting the finishing touches to his Breeders’ Cup team, which is planned to be Together (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Master Of Hounds (Juvenile Turf), Beethoven (Mile) and Bright Horizon, who will target the Marathon at Churchill Downs.
