O'Brien has several in Group 1's at Saint-Cloud
The last two Group 1 stakes of the European flat-racing season have something in common with many of the other Group 1's run this year – trainer Aidan O’Brien features prominently.
O’Brien on Saturday had a great chance to win his 26th Group 1 or Grade 1 race of 2017 with a three-horse entry in the Racing Post Trophy. With 25 such winners so far this year, O’Brien has tied the calendar-year record for Group 1's or Grade 1's set by Bobby Frankel.
If none of O’Brien’s trio in the Racing Post Trophy gets him the record, his four runners in the two Group 1's on Sunday could hit the mark. O’Brien has entered three – Delano Roosevelt, Kew Gardens, and Nelson – in the 1 1/4-mile Criterium de Saint-Cloud, which is open to 2-year-old fillies and colts, and has Threeandfourpence for the seven-furlong Criterium International, restricted to colts and geldings. The going at Saint-Cloud is expected to be soft for Sunday’s races.
Delano Roosevelt, with Ryan Moore named to ride, is the Criterium de Saint-Cloud favorite but not a definitive one. O’Brien’s three in the race ran against one another in the Champions Juveniles Stakes on Sept. 7 at Leopardstown, with Nelson first, Kew Gardens second, and Delano Roosevelt third.
Delano Roosevelt might cope best of the bunch with the stretch to 10 furlongs, and he moved on from the Juveniles Stakes to finish second behind Racing Post Trophy favorite Saxon Warrior in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes.
Nelson, who was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes but apparently won’t ship for the race, finished second, beaten a neck by the capable Roaring Lion, in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes on Sept. 30 at Newmarket.
The Freddie Head-trained Luminate appears to rate a solid chance. Two for two to start his career, Luminate won the Group 3 Prix de Conde over very soft ground going 1 1/8 miles on Oct. 7 at Chantilly.
Sacred Life could be a standout in the Criterium International. Trained by Stephane Wattel, Sacred Life steps up to Group 1 competition for the first time but has started his career with three open-lengths wins, including a six-length course and distance victory in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Byron on Oct. 4.
The O’Brien-trained Threeandfourpence was most recently a well-beaten fourth behind three stablemates in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in England.