A Boy Named Susie enhances reputation in Eclipse defeat

Donnacha O’Brien will consider his next move carefully with A Boy Named Susie after he again had to make do with minor honours behind a Ballydoyle superstar in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

The 27-year-old knows better than most about the colossal firepower his father Aidan has at his disposal, having ridden multiple Group One and Classic winners for the team before turning his hand to the training game himself six years ago.

In A Boy Named Susie he appears to have unearthed a top-class colt, but since making a winning debut at Killarney last summer, he has now been beaten three times by Constitution River, twice by Derby hero Christmas Day, once by the Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini and once by Pierre Bonnard, all of whom reside at his father’s County Tipperary base.

Having finished a never-nearer fourth behind Constitution River in the French Derby five weeks ago, A Boy Named Susie this time finished best of the rest, beating the winner’s stablemate Hawk Mountain to the runner-up spot by a neck.

“He ran huge and we’re very pleased – the winner’s a serious beast,” O’Brien said afterwards of a colt owned by his sister, Ana.

“We did everything right, they went a strong gallop and Oisin (Murphy) gave him a lovely ride. It was probably a career-best, so we’re delighted.

“I spoke to Oisin and the first thing he said was we don’t think he wants a mile and a half – I think he’s a 10-furlong horse. I suppose the question is do we throw him into a Juddmonte International or do I finally use my brain and run him in a (lesser) Group race and get him to win something.

“He keeps showing up so it’s hard not to throw him into the big races. He’s beaten a Group One winner there in third and we’ll see, but he’s a very good horse and he’s going to be better next year as well.”

The first non O’Brien-trained horse home was Roger Varian’s Saddadd in fourth.

Winner of the Gordon Richards Stakes over the course and distance before placing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland, the four-year-old again ran with credit, but his trainer feels he is capable of better still.

Varian said: “I wouldn’t be too worried by it. For some reason he was slow into stride, it was a searching gallop and it took him a while to get in the race and then you’re always playing catch-up.

“To me, maybe he wanted a mile and a half today, certainly on this ground. On autumn ground a mile and a quarter would be fine.

“Good to soft would be better than good to firm, but I wouldn’t blame the ground. For some reason he didn’t jump and travel and when you don’t do that at Group One level you get found out.

“He kept on admirably, but I don’t think we saw the best version of Saddadd today so I wouldn’t say that’s as good as he is – I think he’s much better than that.

“I don’t think anyone did anything wrong, we had a go and he’s got a big future this horse, it just wasn’t quite happening for him today.”