REKINDLING is one of a number of smart horses that will represent Joseph O’Brien this season and he heads to York next week for a crack at the Dante Stakes. The form of his success the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown, received a timely boost, when the second, third and fourth that day, finished first, second and third in last Sunday’s Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial.
His style of racing suggests that the colt has every chance of getting a mile and a half.
“We have a very nice team of horses for the flat and I’d say we have around 30/40 two-year-olds and around 30 older horses. I’m very happy with the two-year-olds, but they are not as precocious as those we ran last year - they are more mid/late season types.”
He added: “I’d say a few should be ready to start off around June/July time and a few might not get going until the backend, but with horses like that, they will tell you when they are ready to run.
“Some can come to hand very quickly, but I have great owners and they let me get on with the job and I’m just very grateful for their support.”
He is based full-time in Piltown and stated: “I’m here all the time and I might ride a bit of work, but as a rule, I don’t ride out. When we had a smaller string, I could ride out, but I can’t say that I miss it.
“I would sit on a horse from time to time, but now that we have a larger number of horses, you can’t organise and see everything if you are riding out as well. I prefer it this way and it seems to be working.”
AFTERNOON DELIGHT
3yo b f (5)
Fastnet Rock - Rafina
M Tabor, Mrs J Magnier, D Smith & Flaxman Stables
She had a nice run first time at Tipperary and I think she has come on for that. I think she’ll win a country maiden on nice ground over 10 furlongs and hopefully is a filly that will improve with racing.
APPARITION
3yo br g (954-33)
Dream Ahead - Bluebell Park
Mrs A M O’Brien
He is a grand horse and we took a chance running him in a maiden at Roscommon last Monday. He ran well that day and I think he’ll win off his mark.
He may have found Roscommon a bit tight and maybe he’ll be better on a more galloping track and a mile and a half.
He is a big horse and he’ll mix it later on in the year, but there is more to come from him and he is a horse that we like.
He’d like some nice ground and it was beautiful ground at Roscommon on Monday.
ART NOUVELLE
3yo b f (41-832)
Art Connoisseur - Van De Cappelle
Geansai Nua Syndicate
She ran very well at Cork in what looked a good race the last day. She likes a little ease in the ground and she is in at the Curragh at the weekend, but I’d say she won’t run unless we get a drop of rain.
I’d say a stiff six furlongs is her trip and she looked a nice filly when she won her maiden at the Curragh last year.
I’d be hoping that she will progress with racing and that often happens with sprinters. She is a lovely, genuine filly and I don’t think that we’ve seen the best of her yet.
CIRCUS RING
3yo b g (5476-31760)
Fastnet Rock - Arabian Mirage
Annus Mirabilis Syndicate
He won well at Dundalk, but he disappointed a bit on the grass and we might have gotten the tactics wrong a few times.
He is on an okay mark and I think a change of tactics will be a help to help to him - he needs lot of cover. He’ll handle nice ground and a mile would suit him best.
DILMUN
3yo b f (7)
War Front - Pachattack
Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd
She is a lovely filly that goes well. She has yet to run for us and she’ll be ready to run come mid-summer. I hope that she’ll be able to win a maiden. She is a month to six weeks off a run. We just had a little hold-up with her which set us back a bit, but it was nothing too serious and we like her and we’ll get her going over seven furlongs or a mile.
DRUIDS CROSS
3yo b c (891-8)
Cape Cross - Shell Garland
Annus Mirabilis Syndicate
A fine, big horse, he ran in the Chester Vase on Thursday and he was disappointing. He is fine after the race and maybe he just didn’t handle the track at Chester. He might still be a little bit immature and although it might have made more sense to go down the handicap route, we wanted to see how he would fare in a good race.
His work at home has been good. He has a lot of potential and we do like him.
We’d like to think that he could be a nice horse as the season goes on and I can see him making into a better four-year-old. He won his maiden over seven furlongs and he shouldn’t have been able to do that.
DUPLICATION
3yo b c (812-)
Requinto - Primeshade Promise
Qatar Racing Limited
He won for us in Dundalk last year and he is a very fast horse. He wants five or six furlongs and fast ground. I’ll try and keep him to three-year-olds only races. He had a good break over the winter and he is six to eight weeks off a run. We like him and we’ll step him up in his work in the next few weeks. I think he could be a nice horse for some of those good sprints on fast ground during the summer.
EAGLE SPIRIT
3yo b g (312644-)
Holy Roman Emperor - Romie’s Kastett
M V Magnier
He is a nice horse that won his maiden but then he disappointed us a few times. I think he is on a workable mark and he’ll start off in a three-year-old handicap somewhere over 10 furlongs. We like him and I can see him paying his way well during the summer.
EPITAPH
3yo b g (3690-5722)
Henrythenavigator - Chartres
Mrs A M O’Brien
Second on his last two runs, he has been a bit unlucky not to have won, but the form of those races has worked out well and I think he’ll win off his mark. Later on this year, he will mix it away on the flat and over hurdles. A mile/10 furlongs looks his trip and he wouldn’t want the ground too soft.
GREY WATERS
3yo gr f (9500-06)
Mastercraftsman - Pelican Waters
Boragh Stud Syndicate
She has been disappointing. We liked her last year, but she has yet to show on the track what she does at home. Hopefully she’ll improve when we step her up in trip.
INESCAPABLE
3yo gr f (076-644)
Dalakhani - Takawiri
Annus Mirabilis Syndicate
She has run two good races this season and again she is a filly that will stay well. Once she steps up in trip she’ll be okay and the form of her races is working out so hopefully she’ll be able to get her head in front. Ground isn’t that big an issue for her.
INTRICATELY
3yo b f (13310-40)
Fasnet Rock - Inner Realm
Mrs C C Regalado-Gonzalez
She ran very well on her first run back at Leopardstown, but she disappointed us in the English Guineas. She has come out of the race fine and we’ll see how she is later on in the week, but at the minute I’d say there is a reasonable chance that she’ll take her chance in the Irish Guineas - if not she might go to Epsom for the Oaks.
It might have been the track at Newmarket - we were a bit puzzled by her run, but we’ve seen it happen before where horses disappoint at Newmarket and bounce back at the Curragh, so hopefully that will happen with her. She clearly didn’t run to form at Newmarket and long term, her optimum conditions and trip might be 10 furlongs on good ground, but I am not sure yet that she will get further than a mile
LIGETI
4yo b g (000-7112225)
Rip Van Winkle - Dollar Chick
Michael Tabor
He has done well for us over the winter and he is a tough, hardy horse that takes his racing well. He has won two for us and been placed a good few times. Good ground over a mile and a quarter/mile and a half is what he wants.
He didn’t seem to handle Clonmel last week and he should remain competitive off his mark on the grass, especially when he ran races on a more galloping track. I’d say there is a chance that he will jump a hurdle at some stage.
MOTHERLAND
4yo ch c (6311-2)?Galileo - Pipalong
Annus Mirabilis Syndicate
He ran very well on his first run of the year, but we are just waiting for a drop of rain for him.
We had looked at Chester, but the ground is very fast, so the Saval Beg and Curragh Cup and all those good staying races are options for him. I am hoping that he will improve when he steps up to two miles.
I suppose we have an eye on Ascot as well, but while his rating suggests that he is a stakes horse, he has to go and prove that now. We’ll learn a good deal more about him the next day and it is hard to beat group form. Once we get a drop of rain, he is ready to start off - I just don’t want to run him as we don’t have to so - we just have to be patient with him and wait for a little ease in the ground.
RECKLESS GOLD
4yo ch c (32/18-)
Pivotal - Golden Shadow
Maxwell Morris
He is just waiting to start off. He won a Curragh maiden last year and he is a huge big horse and I’d say we have yet to see the best of him. He had a little setback last year and we’ll start him off in a seven-furlong listed/group race and hopefully he’ll develop into a solid group horse for us this year.
He is a big, imposing horse and he will handle soft ground and he could be a nice horse when we get slow ground come the autumn.
REKINDLING
3yo b c (210-1)
High Chaparral - Sitara
Lloyd J Williams
He is an exciting horse. We were a bit surprised, but delighted, with his win the Ballysax Stakes and he goes to York next week for the Dante. The form of the Leopardstown has worked out and you’d like to think he has improved, but he is a not a flashy horse at home. We’ll have a fair idea as to where we stand after the Dante - it looks a very good race.
You’d be hoping that he could be a Derby horse, but we’ll see how next week goes first. It was good to see the horses that he beat fight out the finish in the Derrinstown Derby Trial last Sunday. Rekindling handles slow ground, but I’d say he will handle quicker ground as well.
He is a horse that saves his best for the track and he is bred to stay well.
REMEMBER THE DAYS
3yo b c (14422)
Kyllachy - Pointed Arch
Malih Lahej Al Basti
A lovely horse owned by Malih Al Basti whose Al Basti Equiworld sponsors the yard. He won for us in Dundalk last year and he has been placed in all his runs since.
I’d say 10 furlongs on good ground is what he wants and I’d say he will pay his way well on the grass this summer. He is a lovely, genuine horse.
RUBY GATES
3yo b f (7884-32831)
Avonbridge - Wild Academy
Maxwell Morris
She wasn’t winning out of turn at Dundalk last Friday and she is a grand filly. She tries hard and she will run away on good ground.
SECRET SPLENDOUR
6yo b m (7/4/294-)
Cape Cross - Fonda
Another new addition and a lovely big filly. She isn’t that far off a run, but she goes well at home and I like her. She will, I hope, be competitive off her mark.
TASTE THE SALT
3yo b f (3)
Born To Sea - Tawaafur
Mrs Joan Brosnan
She had a nice first run well at Clonmel last week. She will go for an auction maiden at Cork next week and she’ll appreciate better ground. I think she’ll win an auction maiden and progress with racing.
TOMMY WELSH
5yo b g (99-0511685)
Dylan Thomas - Roshanak
Michael H Keogh
He is rated 67 and I think he’ll be competitive off his mark. He’ll be a nice horse to run in handicaps over a mile and a quarter/mile and a half. He finished fifth at Dundalk on Wednesday.
UNRACED
FRENCH MIX
3yo b f
Dalakhani - Alharmina
Calumet Farm
She has yet to run but she is a nice filly that should stay well. She will be a lovely filly later on when we step her up in trip and I can see her being competitive in maidens.
RUBY SHOES
3yo b f
Rock Of Gibraltar - So Secret
Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd
She is a lovely filly and I’m delighted that Newtown Anner Stud have sent her to me. She isn’t that far off a run and she works well. I think she’ll run well first time out, but she will improve with racing and she will be a better filly in the second half of the season.
SATISFY
3yo b f
Dalua Racing Syndicate
New Approach - Venturi
She has yet to run for us and her work is good. She is a huge big filly and we think that she is a nice maiden. She is ready to run, but she wouldn’t want fast ground, so we are just waiting for a little ease to come into the ground.
TWO-YEAR-OLDS
We have some lovely two-year-olds to run and a good few of them are mid to backend types. We’ll get then started over six or seven furlongs and hopefully a few of them will develop into stakes horses. We are in no rush to get them going and they will tell us when they are ready to start off. Of those that have run, obviously True Blue Moon (Holy Roman Emperor - Fancy Intense) won nicely first time out at Dundalk and we like him. He has come on for that run and he’ll go for the Marble Hill at the Curragh and we’ll see how that goes. If he ran well there, we might have a look at one of the two-year-old races at Ascot for him. He is a smart horse and he has plenty of pace.
Irish Minister (Americain - Spanked) is a very nice horse and we’ll get him started over seven, and he’ll be a lovely horse for the second half of the season. I’ve been very pleased with him and his work has been good. He is four to six weeks off a run and we like him.
Latrobe (Camelot - Question Times) goes very well and she is one to look out for in the second half of the season. We’ll get her going in a seven-furlong maiden and she should stay well and we like her.
Medal Of Honour (Lope De Vega - Rich Gift) ran well the first day over five at Navan and I’d expect him to improve a good bit once we step him up in trip. He is a nice colt and he’ll go to Leopardstown for a seven furlong maiden and I’d be hopeful that he’ll win his maiden and improve with racing. I think he’ll handle any ground once it’s not too soft or too fast.
Now You’re Talking (Zoffany - Granadilla) ran well in in what looked a good race on her debut at Naas and I think she’ll be hard to beat in a maiden the next day. She learned plenty for that run at Naas and she is sharp filly that we’ve always liked.
Spirit Power (Swiss Spirit - Verasina) has been second twice and he was a shade unlucky not to finish a bit closer that fourth at Cork last weekend. He should be able to win his maiden over six furlongs. He is a nice, sharp horse that should continue to improve.
FACTFILE
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
Address: Carriganog Racing, Owning Hill, Pilltown (Via Carrick-on-Suir),
Co. Kilkenny
Telephone: 051 643796 Mobile: 086 4112255
Twitter: @JosephOBrien2
Yard Sponsor: Al Basti Equiworld
Numbers: Around 75
Jockeys: We have plenty of good jockeys and Donnacha and Ana will ride most of them, but we can also use the lads in Ballydoyle so we are well covered and Connor King rides out here so we are well looked after.
Head Man: Faisal Hayat
Assistant: Mark Power