Los Angeles© Photo Healy Racing
Los Angeles appears increasingly likely to join stablemates Auguste Rodin and Luxembourg in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, the feature race on day one of Irish Champions Festival weekend.
Auguste Rodin denied Luxembourg back-to-back wins in the Leopardstown showpiece 12 months ago, but for the second year in succession the son of Deep Impact will be on a recovery mission as he looks to put a disappointing display in the King George at Ascot behind him.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, is on the crest of a wave, having won the Irish Derby and the Great Voltigeur since placing third behind Ballydoyle superstar City Of Troy in the Derby at Epsom.
While York’s Great Voltigeur is traditionally a St Leger trial, trainer Aidan O’Brien is favouring a step back in trip rather than up for the son of Camelot ahead of a potential tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“It looks like at the moment Los Angeles is going to run. We had it in our head going to York that we might go that way and that was the reason for doing it,” he said on Monday.
“We thought he’s the kind of horse that could finish in the first three, four or five in a (Irish) Champion Stakes and could go onto an Arc. That’s what we still think and if the ground got soft in France he’d have no problem with that.
“Obviously we were delighted with his run in York. We could go to the Leger with him, but we have three others that look like real Leger horses (Illinois, Jan Brueghel and Grosvenor Square) that will get the trip very well and we didn’t think that he needs to go that trip.
“It definitely won’t do him any harm to run over a mile and a quarter and we’ll learn a lot about him. He could be an Arc horse and I’d say there’s no doubt he’ll stay in training next year.”
O’Brien blamed underfoot conditions for Auguste Rodin’s below-par effort in the King George and is confident he is back firing on all cylinders ahead of the defence of his Leopardstown crown.
“He loves fast ground and his last bit of work was excellent, he showed a lot of zest in it. He went by his lead horse very easy, whereas usually he wouldn’t at that stage of the work. He was very confident and it was a bit different,” he said.
“The plan is to go to Leopardstown and then go to Japan after it. We think he’s a mile-and-a-quarter horse that gets a mile and a half, but he doesn’t want any further than that. He’s a very slick horse who travels very well and does everything very easy.”
Reflecting on his Ascot defeat, O’Brien added: “I felt when I walked the track the ground was soft on the inside. I made a bad decision, I should have discussed it with the lads and we should have got out off it. We made the decision to stay in, he got trapped down on the rail behind the pace and we probably turned it into a mile and six race – it was very tough.
“We felt he was on the worst of it (ground), I’m not trying to make excuses but that’s what we felt and the first three all came from the back and wide off the bad ground. They were all good enough reasons for us for the horse to run disappointing.”
O’Brien expects Ryan Moore to keep the faith in Auguste Rodin on Saturday week, with riding plans for Los Angeles and Luxembourg to be made nearer the time.
He added: “If he (Auguste Rodin) runs I’d imagine Ryan will ride him. I suppose if the ground got soft everything might change, but I’d imagine he will ride him.
“Luxembourg is a very consistent, strong horse. He’ll go forward – over a mile and a quarter he doesn’t mind making the running and you have to follow him because he won’t be stopping.”
Detailing some of his other plans for the two days, O’Brien confirmed Ylang Ylang as his likely representative in Leopardstown’s Matron Stakes, while star stayer Kyprios will look to win his second Irish St Leger at the Curragh the following afternoon.
Unbeaten juvenile Henri Matisse is set to carry the stable’s hopes in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, with Acomb Stakes-winning stablemate The Lion In Winter – ante-post favourite for next year’s 2000 Guineas and Derby – more likely to wait for the Goffs Million on September 28.
“That (National Stakes) was always the plan for Henri Matisse and the lads will decide whether the horse that won in York will run or not, but he’s still there,” said O’Brien.
“If he doesn’t go there he’ll go to the Goffs. He’s being kept on the boil for the National Stakes, but the plan is that he’ll go to the Million.”
Frankel fillies Bedtime Story and Lake Victoria are both under consideration for the Moyglare Stud Stakes, with Fairy Godmother instead being saved for the Cheveley Park at Newmarket.
O’Brien will also have one eye on events in France, with Opera Singer set to test her Arc claims in the Prix Vermeille.
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