Aidan O'Brien is gearing up to say goodbye to the Coolmore Stud-bound Giant's Causeway but he has already made his farewells to the Kentucky Derby hopeful, Turnberry Isle, who has remained in the US to be trained by D Wayne Lukas.
Turnberry Isle, beaten less than three lengths into sixth behind the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Macho Uno, on Saturday night, won the Beresford Stakes on his last Irish start.
"He ran a fine race first time out on dirt to be beaten by just over two and a half lengths and he must have a big shot for the Kentucky Derby," O'Brien said yesterday. "Michael Tabor wanted the horse the horse to stay over there, and Wayne Lukas will train him."
The Ballydoyle trainer, however, is still having to cope with the frustration of Giant's Causeway's Breeders' Cup Classic near miss and points to jockey Michael Kinane's dramatic loss of the reins inside the final furlong as decisive.
O'Brien said: "Obviously the horse would have won if he hadn't lost the reins. There's no doubt about that. Anyone will tell you that. Michael will tell you that in time."
Giant's Causeway, along with Ireland's other Breeders' Cup Classic runner Pine Dance (10th), has been invited to the $2 million Japan Dirt Cup, which will be run in Tokyo in 17 days time. But O'Brien concedes Giant's Causeway has almost certainly run his last race.
"He probably won't go to Japan and more than likely he won't race again. There's no doubt he has been a great horse," he said. Giant's Causeway will start his stud career in the 2001 season and his covering fee has been set at £75,000.
Dermot Weld, however, hasn't ruled the Japanese option out for Pine Dance, who is still in America after his Breeders' Cup attempt. "He has a number of other options. He could stay in the US, and I'm looking for a couple of possible races for him there, or he could come home and we would freshen him up for the Dubai World Cup. We'll decide later in the week but the Japan race is a $2 million race and all expenses are paid," said Weld.
"Pine Dance ran a satisfactory race in Churchill Downs. He just got tired in the last half furlong," Weld added.
