Sovereigns takes Round Tower as Donnacha O'Brien completes 4-timer

Champion Trainer Aidan O'Brien completed a treble, and his Championship-chasing jockey son Donnacha O'Brien a four-timer, at the Curragh today as unbeaten Ten Sovereigns routed the field in the Group 3 John Sisk & Son Round Tower Stakes.

The pair won the opening races with Sydney Opera House and Just Wonderful before O'Brien junior completed a treble on his brother Joseph O'Brien's Perfect Tapatino in a handicap.

An hour passed without O'Brien involvement in a winner but Ballydoyle then ratcheted things up with Ten Sovereigns, who improved on his impressive maiden win last week with another very easy three and three parts of a length win over maiden Bruce Wayne.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien was extensive in his praise for Ten Sovereigns, saying “you'd have to be very happy and it was lovely to come back here on a lovely bit of ground.

“He would have learned more today as he followed horses so that was great and Donnacha was very happy with him. He travels very strong and has a lot of speed and you'd be delighted to see the last furlong. He got there and opened up then.

“At least now going to the Middle Park he's after having two runs and he should have enough experience. We'll look forward to that now. He's definitely fast but he's relaxed and he's very clear winded so you'd say looking at him today he shouldn't have any problem with seven (furlongs).

“He seemed to do everything right and he has a good big open stride. He has a lovely mind, even into the stalls, and everything is very easy. He does the same in the race, he's very easy through the race.

“Seamus (Heffernan) rides him all the time and has done a great job on him."

Regarding getting a mile he added “I always think if they're good enough they usually get it, unless there is something to stop them from getting it.

“He's very clean winded, he's a very good mover, he's big and he's scopey. He has plenty of speed but that's what we're always looking for in horses and he has plenty of it.

“He doesn't look like a horse that would want soft ground, he's definitely a nice ground horse as he skips along.”

When asked if the Dewhurst would be an option he replied “the Middle Park is what we were looking at but obviously we'll see and there could be other horses there for the Dewhurst.

“Himself and Sergei Prokofiev we'll look at for the Middle Park ;there are a few others that have run a below par in the past couple of weeks but they might come back up again when the horses are running well again.”

The win moves Donnacha O'Brien to 81 winners for the season, 17 clear of nearest pursuer Colin Keane at the head of the Jockeys' Championship.

Ten Sovereigns' name, on the other hand, is derived from the lyrics to the song Wild Rover as the colt's sire No Nay Never is a line from the chorus, while “I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright” is a line from the second last verse.

Quotes from Gary Carson