The master of Ballydoyle Aidan O'Brien runs the rule over his star horses heading for the Qatar Goodwood Festival next week.
Kyprios (Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup)
“Kyprios is lazy in his work but we’re very happy with him. Everything has gone well since Ascot. We are very happy with him.”
When asked about the injury that nearly curtailed his career, O’Brien said: “It was a long process. At one stage we didn’t think he’d live, but when he got through that part, we had to teach him how to use his joint and walk again. When he started walking again, he had to walk on a very slow treadmill with bails on either side of him to stop him falling over.
"That should tell you where he came from. It’s incredible really, I never thought he would race ever again. There are so many people I should be mentioning who were involved in getting him back so all credit to them.
"He’s a very special horse and has a lot of class. He has a lot more class than most people think. He does stay which is unusual but he’d have no problem being a group horse over 1m2f. As he goes up in distance, he just gets better. Those good stayers are very rare. When you go to those distances, very few horses get them really, but he has the class and gets the trip as well.”
Point Lonsdale (Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup)
“Point Lonsdale could possibly join him. We had it in our minds that if the ground was very fast at Goodwood, then we’d have to think about whether we want to risk Kyprios.
"Hopefully he will run but even if he didn’t Point Lonsdale is going to be an unbelievable sub. He handles fast ground and shows he gets 1m7f well. He might get 2m as well. He’s a horse with a lot of class and we saw in his last run he wasn’t beaten far in a Group 1 over 1m4f. He’s a lovely horse with a great mind."
Henry Longfellow (Qatar Sussex Stakes)
"We’re looking forward to him in Goodwood. We always thought he was a special horse based on what he did last year. We were over the moon with his run at Royal Ascot.
"If we’d got a clearer run in France, we would have known more going into Ascot, so we went into Ascot just learning about him. There’s every chance he’ll progress."
Opera Singer (Qatar Nassau Stakes)
“We were delighted with Opera Singer at Ascot. The other horse who led just messed up her pace a little bit but we were over the moon with her.
"We were always going to step up to go to 1m2f in the Qatar Nassau Stakes with her after that. We’re very happy with her and everything has gone well since Ascot.
"She has an incredible pedigree and is by Justify which just makes her extra special. We think she’ll be happy with the trip and track and she can probably go even further too.”
Jan Brueghel (John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes)
“The plan with Jan Brueghel is the Gordon Stakes, he’s going up to 1m4f.
"We always thought he was going to stay and could stay further. We’re very happy with him. He’s a very relaxed and laid-back horse who has had two lovely runs this year. We thought this would fit into his programme well."
Grateful (Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes)
"She’s a Galileo filly and she’s the last of the Galileo’s out of Tepin.
"She has the most incredible pedigree. We were delighted with her last time when she stepped up in distance. She was still green when she got to the front. Ronan Whelan rode her and thought she would come forward again."
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