River Tiber and Ryan Moore winning the Coventry Stakes Group 2 at Royal Ascot last season. © Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Aidan O'Brien expects River Tiber to be his stables main contender for Saturday's Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Winner of his first three races last season, including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the colt acquitted himself well when reaching the frame in both the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes subsequently.
Not seen since September, O'Brien told Dave Keena that the Curragh race was always likely to be his first start as a three-year-old: ""That's the plan. Everything has went well with him. Obviously we were trying to split them all up and start off in different races.
"He was in Navan the other day and everything is good, so the plan is to start him in the Irish Guineas and hopefully go from there."
O'Brien said that with stamina a slight question mark, the colt can run here before deciding whether to go back to sprinting later: "We think a mile is within his compass although not guaranteed. We just thought we would start in the Guineas and if he didn't get it, he would go back to the Commonwealth or something like that.
"He is not short of speed."
Unquestionable also looks set to join his stablemate in the first Classic of the Irish flat season, although O'Brien warned that he may need the run that bit more of the two: "He might not be as forward at River Tiber but the plan is to start him at the Curragh with a view to going to Ascot after that.
"He had a little blip a couple of weeks ago but he is back in full swing again but he did have it so because of that, he might improve a little more from the Curragh than River Tiber."
