O’Brien pondering Gladness start for Albert Einstein

Aidan O’Brien has explained the thinking behind giving 2000 Guineas favourite Albert Einstein an entry in the 1xBet.ie Supports Irish Racing Gladness Stakes having previously stated he would be going straight to Newmarket.

Having won his first two outings last year, the Wootton Bassett colt met with a setback which ruled him out of Royal Ascot and ultimately the rest of the season.

He was due to go for a racecourse gallop on Sunday at the Curragh but given it is so long since he ran, O’Brien is now contemplating giving him a run.

“What we were thinking is that we are taking the horses on Sunday to the Curragh to work. We had plenty of rain last night and obviously the Gladness is there,” O’Brien told the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

“Albert obviously hasn’t run (since early last season), he’s not like a typical one of ours going into the Guineas first time out because it’s a long time since he ran.

“We were debating whether to give him a run before the Guineas and if we were going to then where would that be. We thought our only two options would be the Curragh or Leopardstown.

“We had planned to take him to the Curragh to work on Sunday and we have the other horses in the race but we’re just trying to think what way the ground is going to be, how the horses are going to be after they did a half-speed yesterday, we’ll see what type of race it is and whether it is the right thing to start him there, go to Leopardstown or go straight there.

“It’s all a bit up in the air but there is a possibility he could go to the Curragh on Saturday and the reason is it is such a long time since he ran. They are all the things that are going on.

“The original plan was to go to the Curragh on Sunday with them all but it might be more important to get a run into him at the races with the stalls and everything just because it’s such a long time since he ran.”

O’Brien’s other entries include Group One winner Puerto Rico, Gstaad and Twain.