A Breeders’ Cup that tested Aidan O’Brien’s nerves wound up a resounding success with Auguste Rodin’s exciting success on Saturday night holding the promise of perhaps even better to come in 2024.
Auguste Rodin ultimately enjoyed a perfect if precarious rails trip to end his three-year-old career in style in the $4 million Turf at Santa Anita.
Under an ice-cool Ryan Moore, the English and Irish Derby winner added to Unquestionable’s Juvenile Turf victory on Friday night to put O’Brien on 18 Breeders’ Cup successes in all.
Only the US legend, D Wayne Lukas has trained more (20) in the 40-year history of American racing’s showpiece event although the Irishman is the first to win a Breeders’ Cup event (Turf) seven times.
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It brought his Group/Grade One haul for 2023 to 20 in a landmark year that saw him notch a record 85 Royal Ascot winners, reach 4,000 career successes and over a century of European classic victories.
With Warm Heart pipped by Inspiral in Saturday night’s Filly & Mare, as well as Aesop’s Fables finishing third in the Turf Sprint, the Ballydoyle team ultimately fired on all cylinders after what was an inauspicious Breeders’ Cup start.
River Tiber’s withdrawal by the Santa Anita vets on Friday clearly tested O’Brien’s patience. Officials weren’t happy with the stable’s No. 1 hope for the Juvenile Turf and while the trainer admitted to being disappointed, he diplomatically concluded: “If you’re in Rome, you don’t fight with the Pope.”
The track vets also weren’t happy with Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys and the Co Kildare trainer conceded the experience would make her think twice about bringing horses to the fixture in future.
If Unquestionable successfully stepped up to the plate in River Tiber’s absence, it was Auguste Rodin’s success that provided perhaps the most long-term significance from O’Brien’s latest Santa Anita expedition.
The son of Deep Impact appeared to thrive in the Californian sunshine and significantly also looked to relish his morning exercise on the dirt track.
“I couldn’t believe how he was cantering on the dirt and I asked myself if we’d done the right thing and should we have been in the Classic,” O’Brien pondered after Saturday night’s victory.
Ultimately it was the Rock Dutrow trained White Abarrio that landed the $6 Million feature on dirt, a knotty outcome for many considering Dutrow’s recent return from a 10-year suspension for numerous medication and administrative violations.
The Classic has long been something of a Holy Grail for O’Brien and some of his finest turf stars have failed over the years to translate their grass form to dirt.
Apparently destined for stud duties, the evidence of Auguste Rodin’s adaptability appeared to have the Coolmore powers examining their options.
“There’s a lot of things we could do with this horse. We could stand him in America or Europe. But there’s a definite possibility we may keep him in training next season,” said MV Magnier. “The Classic next year? That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”
Having twice flopped in this year’s 2,000 Guineas and King George, Auguste Rodin made light of the 6,000-mile trip to Los Angeles to end what has been an “all or nothing” campaign with aplomb.
A messy start to the race had Moore resorting what he termed “Plan F” as he cut out a daring path up the rail. If he got lucky when the local hope Balladeer briefly rolled out in the short straight there was no disputing the kick Auguste Rodin showed to exploit it.
“I knew when he started to move he’d get there two furlongs too early. It’s an instinct with him now, though he said he didn’t have any other choice.
“But Ryan, being the man he is, saw it coming. He was calm as ever,” O’Brien said. Asked about his own emotions through the race – “I’m always a wreck!”
O’Brien’s international ambitions aren’t finished for 2023 yet as his St Leger hero Continuous is set to target the Japan Cup in Tokyo in three weeks time.
Continuous is as short as 10-1 in some lists for the contest which sees the world’s highest-rated racehorse, Equinox, as a general odds-on favourite.
