AIDAN O’Brien may have trained the winner of the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes 17 times in the past 29 years, but he has not been successful in any of the past three editions of the race.

Next Sunday (August 9th), he will be hoping to end that sequence as his entries for the six-furlong juvenile race include unbeaten Royal Ascot winners Great Barrier Reef and Victorious.

Great Barrier Reef (by No Nay Never) won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and runner-up Adaay Of Scarlett has upheld the form since then by finishing second in both the July Stakes at Newmarket and this week’s Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.

The filly Victorious (by Wootton Bassett) overcame the drop to five furlongs, when winning the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot by two lengths. Runner-up Senorita Bonita franked that form by going on to win the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket last month.

Sun Goddess, winner of the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Irish Derby weekend, is another strong contender for Ballydoyle.

Other possible runners at this stage include Michael O’Callaghan’s Railway Stakes winner Celeron and Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten July Stakes winner Inner City Blues.