IF you were to write a script it could hardly have fallen any better.

That the man acknowledged as the world’s greatest trainer of thoroughbreds would break the record of another legend, at one of the best racecourses in the world, and at the meeting devised to celebrate the champions of European racing, is just the perfect ending to the flat season.

Aidan O’Brien heads to Ascot next Saturday needing one top-level winner to equal Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group 1 race wins, and two to better it.

Johannes Vermeer might well have chipped in with a win in the Caulfield Cup in the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving one win required for the new record.

The main challengers in the Ballydoyle team for the Ascot Group 1s begin with Caravaggio in the Sprint, possibly Winter and Rhododendron in the Filly & Mare, Churchill in the QEII, and Highland Reel in the Champion Stakes.

In some recent campaigns the O’Brien runners have lost their form, often due to soft ground, in the autumn. But, current storms allowing, the conditions at Ascot looks set to be good and the meeting will be run on decent ground.

Caravaggio looks to have a tough test in a tremendously hot sprint so the fillies might give him the record-equalling win. That would set it up perfectly for Churchill, the colt with the fine name, the one who began it all back in May, to be the one. In the final battle, keep the great leader on your side.

Winter - she could add to her Group 1 tally at Champions Day.

There’s also a perfect symmetry when you look at the O'Brien record so far this year - the 24 Group 1 wins have been split 12 each between fillies and colts.

All in all, it’s set up to be just Perfect. Now, that’s a name not yet used by Coolmore. A Galileo filly for next season?

THRILLING TITLE BATTLES

The title battle between Pat Smullen and Colin Keane has lit up an often dull end to the flat season and each man is riding out of his skin.

At the moment it looks like it’s going to be a tough battle for Smullen to hold on to his title with Keane riding at the top of his game and keeping his head in front.

There is also a great battle for the apprentice title. With the unfortunate injury to Ana O’Brien, we now have Oisin Orr (19) ahead of Killian Leonard (17), Gary Halpin (16) and Sean Davis.

BEGINNERS CHASES

We have seen two of the top novice hurdlers from last season, Death Duty and Finian’s Oscar, begin their careers over fences last week and neither of them pleased all commentators on their debuts. Both started long odds-on but left room for improvement.

It should be remembered that it’s not a given that a high-class hurdler will automatically be equally as good over fences. They have to enjoy it. Have to be bold. Both these horses won a point-to-point but it’s different jumping at speed on the track. Their next runs will tell us a lot.

STAR PERFORMANCE

Everyone will have a diferent outlook on what was the star performance of the weekend but you would have to give huge credit to Brendan Brackan and his trainer Ger Lyons keeping him going in brilliant form as an eight-year-old to his 10th win.