Father beat son in the O’Brien family’s head-to-head on Thursday, as Aidan O’Brien’s San Antonio made the most of a difficult passage in the Dee Stakes for Alder, trained by his son, Donnacha, to win the day’s Derby trial by just under two lengths. Of greater significance with the Classic in mind, however, was the fact that the winning trainer was on the Roodee, and so able to confirm that Auguste Rodin, the well-beaten favourite in the 2,000 Guineas, remains his No 1 hope for Epsom on 3 June.
In the run-up to the Newmarket Classic, O’Brien made it clear that he saw Auguste Rodin as his best prospect for some years for a run at the Triple Crown. That dream got no further than the first, and most difficult, leg but the trainer’s faith in Auguste Rodin’s talent is undiminished.
“Not really,” O’Brien said after the Dee, when asked if San Antonio’s success had re-arranged the Ballydoyle pecking order.
“We’ve always thought the world of Auguste Rodin as everything came so easily to him. He’s come out of the Guineas well and will go to straight for the Derby.”
Auguste Rodin is unlikely to be the stable’s only Derby runner, as in addition to San Antonio – who is 25-1 (from 50-1) for the Classic – O’Brien also has two more triallists to come over the next few days.
“With the Lingfield trial [on Saturday] now on the all-weather, Bertinelli will go there,” O’Brien said. “The horse we would have run at Lingfield [Gooloogong] might go [straight] to Epsom and Continuous heads for the Dante at York [on Thursday].”
Alder, meanwhile, is possibly the better long-term prospect from Thursday’s race, as he did well to get as close as he did to the winner from a distinctly unpromising position two out.
“The race was a bit of a mess and in ground I didn’t think he would like, I actually think he ran very well,” Donnacha O’Brien said. “He quickened up nicely, then just flattened out in that ground, but I was very happy with him.
“We’ll take him home and see how he comes out of it and make a plan then. For sure he could go to one of the Derbys, either Epsom or the Curragh or something like that.
“You have very little chance from out back when they go that slow, but that’s racing and that’s Chester.”
Chester 1.30 Wobwobwob 2.05 Pride Of America (nap) 2.40 Mujtaba (nb) 3.15 Calling The Wind 3.45 Banderas 4.20 Aqwaam 4.55 Anna Bunina
Market Rasen 1.40 Syr Maffos 2.15 My Brother Jack 2.50 Frenchy Du Large 3.25 Some Scope 4.00 Teescomponentsfly 4.35 Sageburg County 5.08 Choccabloc
Ascot 1.50 Racingbreaks Ryder 2.25 Coquelicot 3.00 Shirlaski 3.35 Rocha Do Leao 4.10 Chairmanoftheboard 4.45 Prospering 5.20 Stage Show
Nottingham 5.15 Desert Master 5.45 Mysterious Love 6.20 Bo Taifan 6.55 Perfuse 7.30 Iato’s Angel 8.05 Eyetrap 8.40 Star Of Aria
Ripon 5.25 Grey Gray 5.55 Talha 6.30 Reigning Profit 7.05 We’ll Go Again 7.40 Rich Waters 8.15 Bit Of A Quirke 8.45 Annalee Lass
Wolverhampton 5.30 Jenny Ren 6.05 Estate 6.40 Sophia’s Starlight 7.15 Waleyfa 7.50 Wedgewood 8.25 Indication Rocket 9.00 Gunnerside
Calling The Wind can strike a blow in Chester Cup
The showers were occasional rather than relentless on the Roodee on Thursday but the track received a thorough drenching a day earlier and the outlook remains unsettled ahead of the Chester Cup, one of the Flat season’s most popular betting events, on the final afternoon of the May Festival.
Only the stoutest stayers are likely to be involved in the finish, and the proven track-and-trip form of Falcon Eight, the winner in 2021 and fifth home last year, could see him start favourite at around 6-1.
He is 1lb higher than he was 12 months ago, though, and Calling The Wind (3.15) third home over an even longer trip in the Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot last year, could be a better bet at around 10-1. Richard Hughes’s gelding has not contested many handicaps since finishing third in the Cesarewitch in 2021 but that Newmarket form gives him an obvious chance on Friday from a 3lb lower mark.
Chester 1.30 Wobwobwob has run well on easy ground twice already this year, is still just 4lb higher than for his cosy win at Catterick last October and a draw in stall one is also ideal.
Ascot 1.50 Having raced very keenly over a mile at Haydock last time, the drop back to seven furlongs looks like the right move for Racingbreaks Ryder.
Chester 2.05 Course-and-distance winner Pride Of America is well-drawn in stall four and could take some passing if Hollie Doyle gets him settled in front. Amy Murphy’s gelding went off too hard in a Listed contest at Saint-Cloud in March but this drop back to handicap company should suit and he remains fairly weighted off just a 4lb higher mark than for his two-and-a-quarter length win in at Kempton in January.
Chester 2.40 An excellent renewal of the Huxley Stakes, with Point Lonsdale, one of 2021’s best juveniles, heading the market for what is just his second start since finishing down the field in last year’s 2,000 Guineas. He should come on for his successful return in a Group Three at the Curragh last month, but faces a very tricky opponent in Mujtaba, who ran away with a handicap on heavy ground at Newbury in October, posting a time which suggests this step straight into Group Two company is justified.
Chester 3.45 A rare maiden event for the ITV cameras and Banderas likely to be tough to beat if he can reproduce his recent form at Newbury, where he led until the final strides.
