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O'Brien's 2 year olds

  • 23-07-2020 12:18pm
    #1
    onlyonpaper
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭


    AOB seems to have a particularly weak group of two year olds this year. Maybe

    premature to come to conclusion but I'm surprised that nothing of any note has

    so far come to the fore in either the colts or fillies races where Lyons and

    Harrington are dominating.


Comments

  • #2
    deeks
    Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭deeks


    Have been thinking something similar. He's had a good few that have looked decent enough when winning maidens but have almost all flopped and flopped badly when upped in class. The one exception I can think of off the top of my head is Battleground who won nicely at Royal Ascot. What's strange as well is that many of them have been short prices and well backed so it seems there is stable confidence behind them but they just don't do it on the track?


  • #3
    leko99
    Registered Users Posts: 121 ✭✭leko99


    Nicest who won the opener today for Donnacha looks a lovely prospect


  • #4
    deeks
    Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭deeks


    I thought Magna Grecia's half brother St. Mark's Basillica ran a race full of promise at the Curragh yesterday. Slowly away and looked extremely green but ran on really well after that without being beaten up. Should progress enough to win a maiden next time but interesting to see how he fairs after that.


  • #5
    onlyonpaper
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭onlyonpaper


    He did run a nice race but quite a few of his has failed to progress after initial promise....Admiral Nelson, Mother earth, Hudson river and Military style all looked good at first but then flopped.

    Wembley is entered in all the Group 1 races later in year bur failed today at Galway. Will be interesting how Battleground performs tomoro and Admiral Nelson also scheduled to run later in week and it could confirm the level his crop is at....

    Mind you many of his older horses are performing well recently either after brillant start to delayed season


  • #6
    onlyonpaper
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭onlyonpaper


    Sorry..... previous post should have read “ older horses are not performing well”


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  • #7
    kksaints
    Registered Users Posts: 4,680 ✭✭✭kksaints


    Good win for Battleground in the Vintage Stakes. First two pulled a decent way clear of the rest.


  • #8
    onlyonpaper
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭onlyonpaper


    That was good performance as Devious Company is held in high regard. O'Brien acknowledged the situation in his own way afterwards. He said

    "All the two-year-olds got a little bit messed up at the start of the season and we had to rush some of them to get to Ascot. A lot of stuff wasn’t ideal. But he was lovely."
    “It’s very early for horses yet. An awful lot will come out. Some will improve, some will stand still and some will go back. But we’re delighted with him.”

    All may not be quite as it appeared for a while


  • #9
    tryfix
    Registered Users Posts: 2,702 ✭✭✭tryfix


    onlyonpaper wrote: »
    That was good performance as Devious Company is held in high regard. O'Brien acknowledged the situation in his own way afterwards. He said

    "All the two-year-olds got a little bit messed up at the start of the season and we had to rush some of them to get to Ascot. A lot of stuff wasn’t ideal. But he was lovely."
    “It’s very early for horses yet. An awful lot will come out. Some will improve, some will stand still and some will go back. But we’re delighted with him.”

    All may not be quite as it appeared for a while

    Hasn't it been similar for the last few years? The sharper bred types get out early, are very well fancied once they have had a win but most struggle as the competition gets serious, then as the year progresses the Galileo 2yos come out and start moving up the food chain.

    In his early days Aidan was training with more attention going to allowing his best run to their best in top 2yo company, nowadays it is all about taking it easy with them and getting black type as a 3yo with them and it makes it hard to know what's the worth of his early 2yos form.

    I preferred it when he trained like Joseph does now. You don't normally look at a Joseph O'Brien trained runner and wonder if he's going to be trying, you expect it. You look at an Aidan O'Brien trained runner and you're thinking is he ready today or is he just out for a training run, is that as good as he or she is or is that one that's going to improve 10lb next time because it wasn't revved up today.

    I do like Battleground. If he has better than him at home I'd love to see it.


  • #10
    tryfix
    Registered Users Posts: 2,702 ✭✭✭tryfix


    onlyonpaper wrote: »
    Sorry..... previous post should have read “ older horses are not performing well”

    There's a spark lacking recently but they're not far off ( well Japan's King George run was a wtf event). With all the talk of how brilliant Stradivarius was today to give so much weight away to Santiago it was missed that the younger 4yo Nayef Road had to carry the same weight as the 6yo Stradivarius and he was only beaten a length by the older horse.


  • #11
    deeks
    Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭deeks


    deeks wrote: »
    I thought Magna Grecia's half brother St. Mark's Basillica ran a race full of promise at the Curragh yesterday. Slowly away and looked extremely green but ran on really well after that without being beaten up. Should progress enough to win a maiden next time but interesting to see how he fairs after that.

    I see St. Marks Basillica is 14/1 for the Dewhurst on Saturday. It may be foolish but every time I see him run he looks like he's going to come on bundles for it cos it takes him an age to get going before finishing well. I can't shake the feeling that it's going to click for him one of these days and he'll dot up in a big race at a nice price so he's going to carry a few bob of mine each race until that happens. (The far more likely scenario is that he's just not as good as I think he is and he always runs well without ever being quite good enough and I lose a fortune:pac:)


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  • #12
    crossman47
    Registered Users Posts: 1,496 ✭✭✭crossman47


    deeks wrote: »
    I see St. Marks Basillica is 14/1 for the Dewhurst on Saturday. It may be foolish but every time I see him run he looks like he's going to come on bundles for it cos it takes him an age to get going before finishing well. I can't shake the feeling that it's going to click for him one of these days and he'll dot up in a big race at a nice price so he's going to carry a few bob of mine each race until that happens. (The far more likely scenario is that he's just not as good as I think he is and he always runs well without ever being quite good enough and I lose a fortune:pac:)

    Good call. Pity I didn't see it beforehand.


  • #13
    deeks
    Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭deeks


    crossman47 wrote: »
    Good call. Pity I didn't see it beforehand.

    Thanks. Had a few quid at 33s for next years Guineas beforehand as well so fingers crossed 🤞


  • #14
    Morleystreet
    Registered Users Posts: 225 ✭✭Morleystreet


    deeks wrote: »
    I see St. Marks Basillica is 14/1 for the Dewhurst on Saturday. It may be foolish but every time I see him run he looks like he's going to come on bundles for it cos it takes him an age to get going before finishing well. I can't shake the feeling that it's going to click for him one of these days and he'll dot up in a big race at a nice price so he's going to carry a few bob of mine each race until that happens. (The far more likely scenario is that he's just not as good as I think he is and he always runs well without ever being quite good enough and I lose a fortune:pac:)

    Ah great call. Read this yesterday evening but didn't follow ya. Fair play.


  • #15
    Rabbit Redux
    Registered Users Posts: 309 ✭✭Rabbit Redux


    Wembley is probably the horse to take out of the Dewhurst. Considering the winner had the run of the race, Wembley did well to finish within three quarters of a length from a wide draw and a less than straightforward run. Might have been better suited to the Futurity at Doncaster.


  • #16
    deeks
    Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭deeks


    Rabbit Redux wrote: »
    Wembley is probably the horse to take out of the Dewhurst. Considering the winner had the run of the race, Wembley did well to finish within three quarters of a length from a wide draw and a less than straightforward run. Might have been better suited to the Futurity at Doncaster.

    Yeah possibly but that’s two groups ones now where he flies at the finish but doesn’t quite get there and to my eye he got to within about half a length 50 yards out but ends up being beaten slightly further. He may be one where his running style means he constantly flatters to deceive?


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