Aidan O'Brien media day: five things we learnt on Monday

Aidan O'Brien opened up the doors of Ballydoyle to the media on Monday morning and outlined plans for his stable stars plus revealed which rider would help fill some of the Ballydoyle riding plans with Ryan Moore injured.

Delacroix's rematch with Ombudsman, plans for Whirl, St Leger hopes, Minnie Hauk's "Arc programme" and much more was discussed with O'Brien. 

Here are five things we learnt from O'Brien who was speaking at the Ballydoyle press morning to launch the Irish Champions Festival, which takes place on September 13 and 14, all live on Racing TV.

Aidan O’Brien will leave no stone unturned in his attempt to give Delacroix the best possible chance of winning next week’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

Delacroix overcame trouble in running to catch Ombudsman and win a thrilling Eclipse at Sandown but that rival came out on top in the Juddmonte International at York when Ombudsman’s pacemaker Birr Castle shot clear.

O’Brien intends to run his own pacemaker this time and is keen for John and Thady Gosden to bring Ombudsman to Ireland, where home advantage will be with the Ballydoyle runner.

“I’m very happy, everything has gone well since York. York was a bit of a non-event (for him) really but everything has been good since, so I’m very happy,” said O’Brien.

“He’s very fresh so we’re looking forward to Leopardstown.

“He’s a good horse. We had it in our head that what did happen at York could happen and we were going to follow the pacemaker, but when the Japanese horse (Danon Decile) got in front it kind of changed the whole race.

“We’ve always thought he was a good horse and the ground doesn’t matter to him. He’s very happy on quick ground and he seems very happy with an ease in the ground as well, so I don’t think it matters.

“Hopefully (Ombudsman) will come. Sheikh Mohammed (owner) is probably the greatest sportsman we’ve ever seen, so I know our men will be delighted. We’d love him to come and then it will be a proper race.

“We’ll try to run a pacemaker if John doesn’t run a pacemaker and we’ll make it very straightforward. The pacemaker will go on and Delacroix can follow him and Ombudsman can follow Delacroix if he wants!

“We’ll let them turn into the straight and see what happens, it’s very simple really. For the race and for everybody we want it to happen – win, lose or draw we’ll be delighted.”

Top-class filly Whirl also holds an entry in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion but will only run if something untoward happens to Delacroix, with the Prix Vermeille her chosen race.

“She’s well, she’s a possible. She’s there as kind of a protective in case Delacroix didn’t run,” said O’Brien.

“It’s very possible that she will go to France for the Vermeille and then she’s had her run if she wants to go for the Arc, so we have our eye on the Vermeille first unless something happened to Delacroix.”

Dual Derby winner Lambourn has been cut in the betting for the Betfred St Leger following confirmation from Aidan O’Brien that he is being aimed at the final Classic of the season.

While he was not the choice of Ryan Moore at Epsom, Moore did take over in the saddle from Wayne Lordan at the Curragh.

He was surprisingly beaten in the Great Voltigeur last time out when conceding a penalty, but in the immediate aftermath O’Brien was not despondent and said he was still in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe picture.

While he could still head to France with that race not until the first Sunday in October, he was cut to 7-2 from 5-1 by Coral for the Leger with Stay True, fourth at York one place in front of Lambourn, trimmed to 8-1 from 12s.

Surprisingly the favourite, another stablemate in Goodwood Cup winner Scandinavia, was eased to 5-4 from evens.

O’Brien said of his Doncaster team: “At the moment we’re thinking of three. We’re thinking of the horse that won the Derby, the horse that won in Goodwood and we’re thinking of Stay True.”

Minnie Hauk looks set to chart a direct route to ParisLongchamp next month, with trainer Aidan O’Brien saying the multiple Oaks-winning filly is “on the Arc programme”.

The three-year-old is unbeaten in four starts this term, winning the Listed Cheshire Oaks on her seasonal bow before adding Classic glory at both Epsom and the Curragh, before securing a third Group One success in the Yorkshire Oaks last time out.

Minnie Hauk is as short as 5-1 with Unibet for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and while the filly will have to be supplemented for the October 5 contest, O’Brien has the French contest in his sights.

He said: “We haven’t seen the best of Minnie Hauk at all and you’re not going to see the best of her until the tempo is very strong all the way. Physically she’s getting bigger and stronger.

“We weren’t sure what she was and I thought we’d know this time but we still don’t know, she’s relentless. She’s on the Arc programme.

“The last day was lovely but we didn’t really find out because the second horse (Qilin Queen) pulled back off Wayne  (Lordan, on Garden Of Eden) a little so for half a furlong or a furlong she was in limbo land where we would have preferred if she was behind the pacemaker. But it might have been the best thing in the world because she had a very easy race.

“We think when she goes there she doesn’t do much, that’s the way she is at home. The Arc hopefully will be a strong run race and we’re going to find out. She looks very exiting and is still in the ‘could be anything’ category.”

O’Brien also raised the possibility of the filly’s owners Derrick Smith, John Magnier and Michael Tabor, opting to race on next term if this season finishes on a good note.

He added: “It’s possible she could be kept in training, the lads love racing them if everything is well.”

Aidan O’Brien will turn to Christophe Soumillon to help fill some of the Ballydoyle riding plans as stable jockey Ryan Moore continues his recovery from a leg injury.

The trainer announced on Saturday that Moore will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his femur.

Wayne Lordan is the yard’s second rider, but he is currently due to be suspended for 10 days after the Goodwood stewards found him to have used his whip in the incorrect place aboard Prestige Stakes winner Precise.

Lordan has lodged an appeal against that ban, which runs from September 9-18, but with the St Leger meeting at Doncaster and the Irish Champions Festival both taking place next week, O’Brien would still be in need of multiple big-race riders as Delacroix is due to run in the Irish Champion Stakes while Scandinavia is a short-priced Leger favourite.

Asked how plans will change given the news of Moore’s injury, O’Brien said: “Wayne is having his appeal this week and obviously Christophe has ridden a lot for us through the year, all those things are changing at the moment.

“I don’t know how long Ryan is going to be but we will tell him to take as much time as he wants.”

O’Brien has often turned to Soumillon, who was previously retained by the late Aga Khan, for his French runners, with the rider partnering Diego Velazquez to win last month’s Prix Jacques le Marois while he also rode two Group One winners for the team on Arc weekend last year.

The trainer added: “Christophe has always been (part of the plans). He’s not tied down to anybody now.

“He’s a world-class jockey everywhere, he’s been riding for us a lot since he’s been released.”