O’Brien double-handed for Dante with Christmas Day and Action

Aidan O’Brien bids to further strengthen his vice-like grip on the Derby by firing a twin assault on the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York on Thursday.

The Ballydoyle handler is responsible for four of the first six in the betting for next month’s premier Classic at Epsom, with Chester trial winners Benvenuto Cellini and Constitution River joined by Pierre Bonnard and the York-bound Christmas Day.

While latter was a surprise winner of the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in early April, he is given the opportunity to stake his Classic claim in a race that is widely considered as Britain’s leading Derby trial, but has not been won by O’Brien since Cape Blanco’s victory 16 years ago.

“The York horses are obviously all still in the Epsom picture, that is why they’re going there,” he said on Monday.

“Christmas Day was always a very legitimate horse. We were going to France to the Group One with him last year that Pierre Bonnard won and he got a temperature and he had to stop. He was off then and all he did since was run in the Ballysax and he won that.

“It’s going to be interesting. I’d say he’s probably stepped up from the Ballysax.”

Christmas Day is joined on the Knavesmire by stablemate Action, who split the French Derby-bound Hawk Mountain and current Epsom favourite Benvenuto Cellini as part of an O’Brien one-two-three in Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy in the autumn.

Action disappointed as an odds-on favourite for his reappearance in the Sandown Classic Trial, but his trainer believes he has a viable excuse for that disappointing effort and suggested he could be deployed in a pacemaking role on Thursday.

O’Brien added: “In my wisdom, I decided to put a tongue tie on Action in Sandown and he didn’t face it.

“It is good he goes to York because then it will be an evenly run race and we’ll have a look at the horses in England again.”

The home team is headed by the William Haggas-trained Morshdi, who was rerouted to York after connections opted to sidestep last week’s Dee Stakes at Chester due to ground concerns.

Proud Yorkshireman Haggas won the 2024 Dante with Economics and is hoping his latest candidate, who made a successful start to his three-year-old campaign in last month’s Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, can rise to the challenge.

Haggas, who won the Linfield Derby Trial with Maltese Cross on Saturday, said: “We’re looking forward to it and it will be a competitive and very interesting race and maybe another Derby contender will emerge from it.

“He’s a very tough and genuine horse and I don’t know where his ceiling is but he won nicely at Newmarket. The form got let down a bit by Charlie Appleby’s horse (Poseidon’s Warrior) but he’s useful and how useful we’re going to find out.

“I wasn’t surprised he won the Feilden as I’ve liked him all along. I always wanted to run him in the Feilden and then go to Chester, it was always the winter plan. He’s a nice horse and he did nothing wrong as a two-year-old, so we will see what happens.

“Whether he’s up to winning a Group Two, we’re about to find out, but he’s perfectly entitled to be there.”

Andrew Balding’s Item impressed in winning his two juvenile starts at Kempton and Bath, but faces a significant rise in class and distance on his return.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing him. He’s obviously ran twice and won twice, he’s a horse we’ve liked at home – Andrew has always liked him – but we don’t really know where the full extent of his ability, hence why we’re going for a trial.

“We’ll hopefully learn a bit more about him, hopefully he’ll prove to be up to that sort of level. Trip-wise I think we’re happy that he’ll stay a mile and a quarter, hopefully they don’t get too much rain and the track should be no problem.

“He’s starting a little bit later than planned, he had a couple of minor hold-ups and took a bit longer to come to hand as he grew a good bit over the winter. We initially thought of going to the Feilden with him but we didn’t get there and once we missed that this was always the plan.”

John and Thady Gosden saddle both Wise Prince and Guildmaster, with the latter one of three Godolphin-owned runners alongside Charlie Appleby’s pair of King’s Trial and Al Zanati.

“We always felt that middle distances might suit King’s Trail and he has come out of the (2000) Guineas (finished ninth) in great shape,” Appleby told the Godolphin website.

“He travelled well at Newmarket before getting slightly caught out at the business end of the race. We are looking forward to seeing him stepping up in trip and will hopefully be slightly wiser afterwards.

“Al Zanati put up a good performance to finish second at Sandown (Classic Trial), and I feel the track at York will suit him better. He is mentally maturing with racing and should be a player based on his last run.”