LEOPARDSTOWN REPORT:ANY HOPES Aidan O'Brien might have had of a low-key run-up to Saturday's Epsom Derby were dashed with a sub-par workout by St Nicholas Abbey on Friday morning and things didn't get better at Leopardstown yesterday where the 2 to 5 favourite Age Of Aquarius was turned over by Profound Beauty in the Savel Beg Stakes.
Despite that defeat the Ascot Gold Cup remains Age Of Aquarius’s target and O’Brien declared himself happy with the colt’s overall performance in running Profound Beauty to half a length.
Whether a similar state of satisfaction exists after St Nicholas Abbey has a workout tomorrow morning will determine much of the shape of the weekend’s blue-riband as despite a back-up team to kill for, O’Brien yesterday was still referring to the enigmatic two-year-old champion as “the big horse”.
That back-up team might not include the Dante winner Cape Blanco at Epsom as the champion trainer explained: “They are all in the mix and nothing is for definite but I would say Cape Blanco is leaning a bit more to France than Epsom. But that could all change. A lot will depend on how the big horse goes on Tuesday.”
O’Brien elaborated: “He is usually head and shoulders above everything but when he worked on Friday he didn’t sparkle quite as much.
“It was very strong and very good work. He worked with a Derrinstown winner (Midas Touch) and he was with him all the way. It wasn’t like he was tailed off or anything. But Johnny (Murtagh) felt it wasn’t quite as good as the Tuesday.
“Maybe something is up with him. He hasn’t done anything since, and we haven’t asked him to do anything. Everything is being observed. But we will know more on Tuesday when the first of them do some work.”
Technically Jan Vermeer still has the option of running in France too but market support kept coming for Epsom yesterday and the Gallinule winner is now a 2 to 1 favourite in some lists.
In comparison O’Brien’s team for the Oaks is comparatively straightforward with Remember When joined by Awe Inspiring and possibly Cabaret while Fame And Glory is targeting Friday’s other Group One feature, the Coronation Cup.
Age Of Aquarius will also be on Group One duty in the Ascot Gold Cup for which he slid out to 6 to 1 after yesterday’s defeat by Profound Beauty.
“It was just his second run of the season and we were delighted with him. She is a very good mare,” O’Brien said.
Dermot Weld’s targets for Profound Beauty will be more local in the short term but the Curragh trainer indicated the Moyglare Stud-owned mare could wind up her racing career in November’s Melbourne Cup, a race in which she was fifth in 2008.
“The Curragh Cup is a logical next stop and we might also look at something like the Yorkshire Oaks or the Irish Leger. If everything is right she might have her final race in Melbourne,” he said.
“That was a proper race with two very good horses.”
The point-to-point arena is usually more familiar territory for veteran Mullingar trainer Cecil Ross but Six Of Hearts provided him with the greatest success of his long career by upsetting the odds in the Group Three Ballycorus Stakes.
The 10 to 1 shot was delivered late by Davy Moran to upset the odds-on favourite Duff and secure the seventh victory of his career in his 55th start.
“I was hoping to be second but miracles can happen!” said Ross.
“He’s a great little horse for me and anything is possible with him because he is dog tough. He just couldn’t win handicaps off his mark so we came here instead.”
The two-race challenge between teams of jumps and flat riders resulted in a 79-63 success for the flat jockeys with Gary Carroll leading home a 1-2-3 on Elyaadi in the first event.
Alain Cawley led home a similar clean-sweep for the National Hunt team in the other race but their rivals had the better overall score.
