Aidan O’Brien has another notable race record in his sights on Saturday as the Irishman pursues an unparalleled ninth success in Newmarket’s Darley Dewhurst Stakes.
Having landed France’s premier two-year-old prize of the year, the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere, with Camille Pissarro on Sunday, O’Brien is multihanded ahead of what is commonly regarded as Britain’s top juvenile contest. His handful of entries after Monday’s latest acceptance stage include Camille Pissarro.
O’Brien’s very first Dewhurst winner, Rock Of Gibraltar, pulled off the double in 2001 although there was a 13-day gap between the races, and the trainer said on Monday that The Lion In Winter is a more likely starter at this point. The unbeaten son of Sea The Stars was quickly installed as short as 11/10 favourite for a potentially mouth-watering clash between racing’s two superpower operations.
Godolphin supplemented its impressive Middle Park winner Shadow Of Light into the race on Monday alongside his unbeaten stable companion Ancient Truth. Their trainer Charlie Appleby has twice won the Dewhurst with Native Trial (2021) and Pinatubo (2019), although O’Brien’s tally is at another level again.
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City Of Troy’s Dewhurst success last season crowned him Europe’s champion two-year-old and put O’Brien alongside the 19th century trainer John Porter and Frank Butters (1927-46) on eight wins in total.
The Lion In Winter was forced to miss an intended target in the Goffs Million at the Curragh due to a bruised foot and is set to take his chance at the top level for the first time.
The €375,000 yearling purchase was a stable second-string when successful on his Curragh debut and followed that up with an Acomb victory at York. He beat Wimbledon Hawkeye on that occasion and that horse boosted the form with a subsequent success in the Royal Lodge.
The only non-Ballydoyle or Godolphin contender left in the Dewhurst is the Hugo Palmer-trained Seagulls Eleven. He finished third to Scorthy Champ on his last start at the Curragh in the National Stakes.
The Dewhurst is the highlight of a “future champions” bill at Newmarket that includes Friday’s Group One Fillies Mile where O’Brien could secure another race record. Ylang Ylang a year ago was his sixth victory in the race, putting him alongside John Gosden and the late Sir Henry Cecil on the roll of honour. His hopes this time include Dreamy and Bubbling who landed the Rockfel on the Rowley Mile on her last start.
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