Masterofthehorse to give Aidan O’Brien fifth Racing Post Trophy

Trophy News from UNITED KINGDOM

 

Masterofthehorse to give Aidan O’Brien fifth Racing Post Trophy

Popular opinion is that Aidan O’Brien is something of a longshot to break the record for the number of Group One winners in a year.

  

With 21 trophies under his belt, he needs another five trophies and time is running out.

 

For me, a pivotal event will be the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, a race the Ballydoyle trainer has collected four times with a selection of well-regarded colts, including dual Derby winner High Chaparral.

 

He has three of the 15 runners and an excellent chance of winning with Masterofthehorse, who has been progressing nicely in recent weeks. This colt is preferred to Jukebox Jury, who attempts to become the first in 26 years (since Dunbeath) to complete the Royal Lodge/Racing Post Trophy double.  

Masterofthehorse won his maiden at Gowran Park on his second outing and then followed up with a staying-on third in the Beresford Stakes in horrible ground that was more testing than the official ‘yielding’ suggested.

 

The important factor with Masterofthehorse is that he is from an outstanding family and has already indicated he is going the right way. He is a brother to the brilliant Oaks winner Alexandrova and should provide O’Brien and ’super sub’ Seamie Heffernan with a valuable and timely Group One trophy winner.

 

Punters should not forget that there are still races such as the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, the Melbourne Cup trophy and others in Hong Kong to come in O’Brien’s quest to break the record. All of them carry Group One status.

 

Doncaster selections: 1.55 Silent Hero, 2.25 Fantasy Explorer, 3.00 Hartley, 3.35 Masterofthehorse (nap), 4.10 Night Hour, 4.45 Sirocco Breeze, 5.15 I Confess.

 

Originally written by HOTSPUR (JA McGrath, The Telegraph