O'Brien eyes another 2000 Guineas title
Aidan O’Brien is hoping either Footstepsinthesand or Oratorio can provide him with a third success in Saturday’s UltimatePoker.com 2000 Guineas.
O’Brien claimed the Newmarket Classic with King Of Kings (1998) and Rock Of Gibraltar (2000) and he was responsible for last year’s hugely disappointing favourite One Cool Cat.
The Ballydoyle handler will want to put that episode behind him on Saturday as Footstepsinthesand and Oratorio make their seasonal bows.
Kieren Fallon is set to partner the former, who finished last season unbeaten in two starts, including the Group Three Kilavullan Stakes.
Oratorio, winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and second in the Dewhurst Stakes, is set to be partnered by Johnny Murtagh.
O’Brien said: “Kieren has been happy with Footsteps, who is a big, rangy horse and very eager to please. Oratorio is tougher to get fit as he is much more laid-back – given the chance he would rather eat and sleep all day than do any work.
“Footsteps is very eager to get on with everything. On his first run he just jumped and went, while on his second start he got a slight lead and then went.
“He’s a very free-moving horse who is a generous worker, and did a nice piece of work at the Curragh. “They are total opposites – one is lazy and one is very generous.”
“Oratorio has the better form of the two but he has raced much more than Footsteps.”
Oratorio had a similar season to Rock Of Gibraltar as a juvenile, taking in the Coventry Stakes, the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and the Dewhurst, but O’Brien could not really compare the two.
“Oratorio is much tougher to get fit than Rock Of Gibraltar and is much more laid-back,” said the trainer.
Both the Guineas colts will be having their first starts of the year as O’Brien did not want to give them a hard race on testing ground so early in the campaign.
“It’s a long year, especially if you start them off on heavy ground very early. The ground has been heavy this year, as desperate as I have seen it,” he explained.
“I like to work them on the grass and they have been working, but it’s only been slow work and not racing work as the ground has been so heavy.
“If the ground had been better, I would have probably liked to have given them a run, but I’m not worried that Footsteps has not had a run.”
Oratorio is well-travelled as he has raced both in Britain and France, but Footstepsinthesand will be making a first trip outside Ireland.
“We will just have to see how it goes as he has never flown or been away before,” O’Brien added.
“There are unlimited possibilities for Footsteps. He could stretch out or he could go back. It’s going to be interesting to watch and see what happens. It’s hard to know what he’s going to do, but he has tactical speed.”
A total of 22 colts were confirmed at today’s five-day stage, with hot favourite Dubawi one of three possible contenders for Godolphin, together with Satchem and Tasdeed.
UltimatePoker.com 2000 Guineas, Coral bet: 5-4 Dubawi, 5-1 Rob Roy, 13-2 Footstepsinthesand, 8-1 Iceman, 14-1 Democratic Deficit, Oratorio, 20-1 Diktatorial, Montgomery’s Arch, 25-1 Forward Move, 33-1 Kandidate, Party Boss, 40-1 Satchem, Solent, Tucker, 50-1 Capable Guest, Elliots World, Rebel Rebel, Tasdeed, 66-1 Pivotal Flame, Tony James, 80-1 David Junior, 100-1 Mister Genepi.
