Bouncebackability at Ballydoyle: Aidan O'Brien horses to follow despite April defeats

It is unwise to write off any horse trained by Aidan O’Brien. Some of us were reminded of that fact on a couple of occasions by Auguste Rodin last season.

It wasn’t just him showing trademark Ballydoyle bouncebackability in high-profile races during 2023 either – the Frankel filly Ylang Ylang threw in a complete howler when last of nine in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, only to be brought back to the boil for the Fillies’ Mile, via a spin in the Rockfel, at the end of the year.

There are countless examples over the years and it’s partly why I was ultimately inclined to give odds-on Ballysax flop Illinois a pass, having initially been left cold by his comeback run in the Leopardstown mud earlier this month.

Will he win a Derby? Probably not if stablemate City Of Troy is all he’s been cracked up to be. Will he prove a good deal better away from heavy ground and presented with a thorough test of stamina? I’ve absolutely no doubt about it.

And Illinois is on a growing list of AOB representatives I’d be perfectly willing to excuse for suffering defeat since the start of the month, with one more added to the pile following Sunday’s action at the Curragh...

Buttons – 3rd in Leopardstown G3 on April 7

Kingman filly Buttons had the promising Content back in third when making a winning racecourse debut last summer but then spent 10 months on the sidelines before returning in the “Priory Belle” Stakes earlier this month.

Despite the layoff, she was the choice of Ryan Moore from four in the race for the stable and she was a huge eyecatcher, coming from out the back to end up third in a race dominated by those who raced up with the speed.

Buttons has three entries for early next month, including the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, but I’d expect her to stay closer to home before potentially lining up in the Irish version of the Classic on May 26.

The Liffey – 5th in Leopardstoen G3 on April 7

There was no fluke about the debut success of The Liffey at the Curragh last June, far from it in fact as he basically had to make his own running, and – with a profile not too dissimilar to that of Buttons – he subsequently spent 300 days off before resuming with an outing at Leopardstown earlier this month.

Not only was he probably a touch short of peak fitness, the ground was barely raceable and just to top if all off, The Liffey got worked up quite badly in the stalls and missed a beat once they opened.

He wasn’t given a hard race by Wayne Lordan but made some decent headway on the turn in, before the petrol gauge started to run dry with a couple of furlongs to travel.

The Liffey won’t be travelling to take up his Guineas engagement, O’Brien has already stated he’ll be going solo with ace in the pack City Of Troy, but he’s bred to get the mile well enough and should be a sharper model for the Group 3 Amethyst Stakes back at Leopardstown in mid-May.

Rubies Are Red – 2nd in Leopardstown fillies’ maiden on April 10

The Galileo era is clearly coming to an end but there’s still a chance for the late, great sire to add more Classic success to his incredible legacy and Rubies Are Red holds entries in the Betfred Oaks and the Juddmonte Irish Oaks.

On the face of it, this filly’s form is a world away from that sort of target but she’s shown bundles of promise in both starts to date, the first when third in a Galway maiden and the latest a solid second to a speedier rival in Galileo Dame (by Guineas winner Galileo Gold) at Leopardstown earlier this month.

She was a disappointing 5/4 favourite on the day but looks certain to progress as she picks up more experience and the fact she’s yet to race on anything other than heavy going looks a bit of a secret weapon for connections as I’m not sure there’s a Galileo out there who wouldn’t be able to race more efficiently on a sound surface.

Cambridge – 4th in Newmarket G3 on April 18

O’Brien’s record in Britain during the month of April is pretty astonishing. Astonishingly poor, to be precise. Since his first Irish champion trainers’ title in 1999, his strike-rate on turf in the UK reads just five winners from 81 starters.

In 2023 he’s didn’t have runners in that category at all but the yard was back with three representatives at Newmarket’s Craven meeting this week, with Matrika, Gasper De Lemos and Cambridge sent off at 9/4, 4/1 and 5/1 respectively.

None were placed but Cambridge ran quite well for a long way in the Craven itself, despite the trainer making it reasonably clear beforehand that the son of Dubawi was going to be in need of the run and probably in need of a step up in trip.

That’s just how it played out in the end, Cambridge getting away brightly from stall one to take them along before being done for speed and boxing on at the one pace.

Out of a Galileo mare who stayed a mile and three-quarters, he’s definitely in need of further and I can see him ending up over that kind of trip at Royal Ascot, or in one of the big handicaps at the same meeting. He’ll run again before then but looks a slow burner who will be worth the wait when the time comes.

Whistlejacket - 2nd in Leopardstown maiden on April 21

Ever since drawing a blank in his first season back in 1995 (0-10), O'Brien's April record with two-year-olds on the grass in Ireland has always been really strong. And the three most recent tallies of 2-3 in 2021, 4-5 in 2022 and 2-4 in 2023 no doubt contributed to both of the yard's juveniles going off at skinny prices in the first couple of races at the Curragh on Sunday.

As it transpired, Treasure Isle was turned over as 5/4 jolly in the five-furlong opener before Whistlejacket also had to settle for second (behind another Joseph O'Brien-trained rival) as the even-money favourite in the six-furlong maiden.

But Whistlejacket looks a really nice colt and looked to keep any potential Royal Ascot dreams intact with his effort, showing superb speed from the gate to lead by the stands' side rail and only run out of it in the final 150 yards or so.

The winner - Cowardofthecounty - was impressive in the end, bounding two and a half lengths clear, but the pair of them were over six lengths superior to the rest and it's the runner-up I'd be taking from the race. That's not an earth-shattering revelation by any means as he'll be a skinny price wherever he goes next with this run under his belt, but it'll be interesting to see if he can emulate his full-brother Little Big Bear, who was second in the same maiden before going one better at Naas, following up in the Windsor Castle and rounding out his brilliant two-year-old campaign with wins in the Anglesey Stakes and Phoenix Stakes back at the Curragh.

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