Tag Archive for: Above The Curve

Al Riffa taking direct path to Irish Guineas date

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Joseph O’Brien is planning to head straight to the Irish 2,000 Guineas with his Group One-winning colt Al Riffa.

Runner-up to Sunday’s Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial winner Hans Anderson on his debut at the Curragh last summer, Al Riffa went one better on his second start before securing a top-level victory in the National Stakes in September.

The Wootton Bassett colt is entered for the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 6, but is set to remain on home soil to contest the season’s first Irish Classic three weeks later.

“He’s obviously our flagship horse, he was a Group One-winning two-year-old and he’s the one we’re excited about,” O’Brien said at a press morning at his yard on Monday.

“The plan is to go straight to the Irish Guineas and at the moment what I’m thinking is we’ll then either go for another mile race or go 10 furlongs. I don’t think he’ll go into a Derby.

“It depends how the Guineas goes, but I don’t see him as a real stayer. He’s a horse that showed speed on the track and shows speed in his training.

“I don’t think I’ve had a higher rated two-year-old and he has the frame to go on. Physically he’d stack up with any of those top horses we’ve had.”

Above The Curve (centre) at Joseph O'Brien's yard
Above The Curve (centre) at Joseph O’Brien’s yard (Thomas Weekes/PA)

Another O’Brien inmate with Group One aspirations is Above The Curve, who struck at the top table in the Prix Saint-Alary last season and was beaten less than a length in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.

The four-year-old daughter of American Pharoah has options at home and abroad for her seasonal debut.

“She’s one of our top horses and has the option of running in the Prix Ganay or the Prix d’Ispahan and there’s also the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh and the Group Two in York (Middleton Stakes). She’ll start off in one of those and we’ll play it by ear, but she’s a Group One filly and very tough,” the trainer added.

“The Pretty Polly would be an obvious first half of the season target and you can look at international options as well. There’s a good mile-and-a-quarter fillies’ programme through the year.

“She should be at least as good this year.”

A new recruit O’Brien is looking forward to unleashing is Jumbly – a Group Three winner for Harry and Roger Charlton last season before changing hands for 1.25million guineas.

He said: “Her main target will be the mile fillies’ race at Royal Ascot (Duke of Cambridge Stakes) – that will be one of her early season targets.

“She looks good and tough and hasn’t done anything wrong all her career. She’s a little bit behind some of mine, so she won’t have her first run for another few weeks and will just have a prep run for Ascot.”

Joseph O'Brien is set for another exciting season
Joseph O’Brien is set for another exciting season (Brian Lawless/PA)

Among the three-year-olds O’Brien is hoping can make an impact this season is Listowel maiden winner Lark In The Mornin, who is set to reappear in a winners’ race at Cork before stepping up in class.

Two fillies to note are Lumiere Rock, who will line up in an Oaks trial at either Naas or Navan, and Caroline Street, who is due to contest at Guineas trial at Leopardstown.

Goldana, a four-year-old Listed winner in Germany for Peter Schiergen, could make her stable debut in either the Gladness Stakes or the Athasi Stakes, while Ottilien – last seen finishing third in the Group One Prix de Royallieu for David Menuisier – is pencilled in for a Listed race at Cork.

O’Brien pointing to Irish Guineas with Al Riffa

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Joseph O’Brien is excited about what Al Riffa may go on to achieve this year given his Group One-winning exploits as a juvenile.

The Wootton Bassett colt stepped up from winning a maiden in July before before being supplemented for the National Stakes where he beat Proud And Regal, trained by O’Brien’s brother Donnacha, and who went on to win his own Group One in France at the end of the season.

O’Brien is aiming him at the Irish 2,000 Guineas in the first half of the season but whether he takes in a trial first has still to be decided.

“For a horse that looks and is very much bred to be a better three-year-old, you’d have to be really excited by him,” said O’Brien in a stable tour for www.attheraces.com.

“Everything has gone smoothly with him so far this year and he’s in really good shape. We aren’t in a rush with him, and the Irish 2,000 Guineas is his first main target.

“He will most likely to go straight there, but we won’t rule out the possibility of running in a trial just yet. He has always shown a lot of pace at home and in his races, but he should have a good chance of staying a mile and a quarter later in the season if we ask him to.

“He’s a hugely exciting horse for this year. He really could be anything.”

Others mentioned by O’Brien among his Classic crop are Thornbrook and Caroline Street, who should reappear in Guineas trials, while Lumiere Rock is likely to start off in an Oaks Trial.

O’Brien is well stocked among his older horses who need middle distances, however, several are currently in Australia with targets in the coming weeks.

They include Chester Cup winner Cleveland, Baron Samedi, Raise You, Statement and Temple Of Artemis.

Above The Curve (centre) remains in training as a four-year-old
Above The Curve (centre) remains in training as a four-year-old (Donall Farmer/PA)

Prix Saint-Alary winner Above The Curve has remained in training and is one O’Brien expects to improve from three to four.

He said: “I’d say she’ll start off in something like the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh on April 16 and we have a bunch of international options as possibles for her after that, both in Europe and potentially further afield.”

A dark horse for the year may be Buckaroo. He has not run since disappointing in the Irish Guineas when he came back sick but O’Brien retains faith.

“He’s a big, rangy colt that was always going to improve with time and it’s great to have him back on the team. We aren’t decided on his starting point just yet, but we’re in a great place with him. He could be one for the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp in May,” he said.

Mooneista (right) is now with Joseph O'Brien
Mooneista (right) is now with Joseph O’Brien (Brian Lawless/PA)

O’Brien has also taken care of a couple of new recruits, Mooneista, bought out of Jack Davison’s yard for 850,000 guineas and Jumbly, a Group Three winner on her final outing for Harry and Roger Charlton.

Of Mooneista, O’Brien said: “This is a mare that Jack Davison did a very good job with for the last few years. She changed hands at the sales late last year and we were thrilled to be asked to train her for her new connections.

“She ran a great race to finish fourth in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and that is the meeting we are aiming her towards.

“Jumbly is a filly with a really nice profile that joined us late last year. She has settled in really well and is going very nicely. We aren’t decided on a starting point yet, but the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot is where we’d like to end up with her. She is an exciting filly.”