Puerto Rico pencilled in for blockbuster Royal Ascot clash

Aidan O’Brien feels Puerto Rico was not at his best when finishing fourth in the French 2000 Guineas on Sunday – and the Ballydoyle handler is already looking forward to seeing him lock horns with stablemate Gstaad and Newmarket Guineas hero Bow Echo at Royal Ascot next month.

Having won successive Group Ones in France at the end of his two-year-old campaign, Puerto Rico was under serious consideration for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket at the start of May before connections ultimately decided to stick with Gstaad, who had to be supplemented back into the race after being scratched in error.

That meant Puerto Rico headed back across the Channel for the French equivalent, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, for which he was a hot favourite but could only finish fourth behind Francis-Henri Graffard’s Rayif.

With George Boughey having decided against sending Bow Echo for the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday week, Newmarket runner-up Gstaad is odds-on to strike Classic gold at the second attempt and O’Brien hopes to see both horses line up against Puerto Rico in what promises to be a mouthwatering St James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting on June 16.

Reflecting on Puerto Rico’s French effort on Sunday, the trainer said: “I prepared him for Newmarket and those big horses, when you prepare them like that, he’d just gone six days too far, but he’ll be fine and he’ll come back.

“He came out of it very well. I think what’s going to happen is him, Gstaad and hopefully the English Guineas winner (Bow Echo) are all going to meet in the St James’s Palace and then we’ll have a proper race – then we’ll see who the best three-year-old is.

“Gstaad will go to the Irish Guineas and on to Ascot then, I’d imagine that is what will happen.

“I’m hoping they all get together in Ascot. I can imagine the pressure George feels, we were there at one time. I think he’s doing the right thing (by missing the Irish Guineas).”