Tag Archive for: Kyprios

Kyprios aiming to extend perfect season with Cadran crown

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Kyprios can further cement his position as the outstanding stayer of his generation when he bids for a second Qatar Prix du Cadran on Saturday.

When it comes to the marathon division, Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old is the undoubted star attraction, with his 2024 renaissance following injury marking him out as a true champion.

Having taken over the baton from Stradivarius in the long-distance ranks, he reeled off six-straight victories before his enforced 344-day break following this very race in 2022.

Kyprios won the Irish St. Leger on his most recent start
Kyprios won the Irish St. Leger on his most recent start (Niall Carson/PA)

After being nursed back to full fitness by the team at Ballydoyle, defeats at the latter end of 2023 may have seen some questioning if Kyprios’ best days were behind him.

However, the patience and perseverance has been rewarded with an unblemished 2024 campaign featuring a second Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Goodwood Cup glory and he most recently recaptured the Irish St Leger trophy.

“Everything has gone well since the Irish St Leger and he’s an amazing horse with a lot of class,” said O’Brien.

“He’s very comfortable going those staying distances and we just thought it might be a bit disrespectful to the horse to ask him to run in an Arc after what he’s after doing for us.

“He’s comfortable going those longer trips, he’s going in an easier gear than he would be in an Arc.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him running again. He’s very special and we really appreciate him and really respect him.”

Few can forget the extraordinary way in which Kyprios landed his first Cadran.

The record books show an emphatic 20-length victory, but that distance could have been longer without the son of Galileo hanging dramatically towards the stands rail in the home straight.

“Ryan (Moore) rode him handy and the pace just fell down when he turned in and he just got left in front,” explained O’Brien.

“He obviously thought he was just going back to the stables and was heading for the gates. Ryan will be aware of that this time and he seems to be going there in really good form.”

Kyprios may be the dominant force of the division, but any discussion surrounding the leading stayers of recent times has to involve the now eight-year-old Trueshan, with Alan King’s stalwart is back in the French capital in search of a third victory in the Group One event.

Winner in both 2021 and 12 months ago, Trueshan will be partnered by his 2021-winning pilot James Doyle with Hollie Doyle at Newmarket to ride Nashwa.

Trueshan is bidding for a third Prix du Cadran
Trueshan is bidding for a third Prix du Cadran (PA)

“The ground looks to be very much in our favour, we know he loves the track and he’s been a model of consistency for years now so we go into the race full of hope,” said King.

“We’d love him to get over that £2million mark and this is, surely, the race where he can do that for the Singula Partnership and for all of us at Barbury.”

Andrew Balding’s Coltrane and Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia make this a British and Irish-dominated contest, but the sole representative from the home team warrants the utmost respect heading into the race on recent form.

Christophe Ferland’s Double Major was a winner of the Prix Chaudenay on this card 12 months ago before winning the Group One Prix Royal-Oak.

He has proven too good for his rivals in both the Prix Maurice de Nieuil and Prix Kergorlay this summer and now tests his credentials over two and a half miles for the first time.

“I think Kyprios is a real champion and we look more like a challenger at this time,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for owners the Wertheimer brothers.

“Double Major has never been over this distance, but is in good form and has won plenty of Group races. His last run in Deauville was very impressive and he showed a great turn of foot.

“I think he has a good chance, but Kyprios is a champion and in my mind we have to be at our very best and at this stage have to be seen as a challenger.”



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James Doyle in line to partner Cadran contender Trueshan

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James Doyle will be reunited with Trueshan in Saturday’s Prix du Cadran, with regular rider Hollie Doyle required at Newmarket for Nashwa.

Alan King’s eight-year-old is bidding for a third victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Group One and was partnered by James Doyle for the first of those in 2021 when Hollie Doyle was suspended.

Trueshan is arguably the horse with which Hollie Doyle made her name having won 11 times on him, including this race last year, the Goodwood Cup and three Long Distance Cups at Ascot on Champions Day.

However, due to being the retained rider for Nashwa’s owner Imad Alsagar, she will be in action in the Sun Chariot Stakes rather than at ParisLongchamp.

King said: “Trueshan is very well, he was scoped today and he works tomorrow, provided it all goes well he is on target for the Cadran again.

“We just need to tick a few boxes before saying it is definite.

“James Doyle will ride, we’ve had him on standby for some time as we had an idea Hollie might not be available.

“He’s won on him before so it was logical when we were looking at it.”

Kyprios returns to the ParisLongchamp winner's enclosure
Kyprios returns to the ParisLongchamp winner’s enclosure (PA)

Kyprios is also among the eight remaining entries, with just one contender trained in France.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the contest in remarkable circumstances in 2022 when, despite hanging across the track in the home straight, he came home 20 lengths clear.

After injury restricted him to just two outings last season, Kyprios has won each of his run races this year. O’Brien has also left in Continuous, who has the option of running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Point Lonsdale.

John and Thady Gosden’s Sweet William finally bagged a big prize at Doncaster last time out and could run, with Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia and Andrew Balding’s Coltrane also in contention.

The only home-trained potential runner is Christophe Ferland’s Double Major.

William Haggas is searching for a third successive win in the Prix de Royallieu with Sea Theme.

Sea Silk Road after winning at ParisLongchamp
Sea Silk Road after winning at ParisLongchamp (Ashley Iveson/PA)

Sea La Rosa and Sea Silk Road have provided Haggas with Group One victories in a race that has not been won by a French-trained runner since 2017.

Henry de Bromhead’s Term Of Endearment, David Menuisier’s Caius Chorister and O’Brien’s Port Fairy are among 16 left in.

There are 11 left in the Prix Dollar, including Brian Meehan’s Jayarbee, the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat and Ed Walker’s Almaqam.

Haggas’ Maljoom and Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy are among 13 in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein, while St Leger runner-up Illinois is one of 11 in the Prix Chaudenay.

There are supplementary entry stages for all races on Wednesday.



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Kyprios tops Cadran contenders at ParisLongchamp

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Kyprios is one of only eight remaining entries in Saturday’s Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp, with just one contender trained in France.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the contest in remarkable circumstances in 2022 when, despite hanging across the track in the home straight, he came home 20 lengths clear.

After injury restricted him to just two outings last season, Kyprios has won each of his run races this year. O’Brien has also left in Continuous, who has the option of running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Point Lonsdale.

Either side of Kyprios’ win, the Cadran has been claimed by Alan King’s Trueshan, and the veteran is once again lined up for the race.

John and Thady Gosden’s Sweet William finally bagged a big prize at Doncaster last time out and could run, with Sir Mark Prescott’s Miss Cynthia and Andrew Balding’s Coltrane also in contention.

The only home-trained potential runner is Christophe Ferland’s Double Major.

William Haggas is searching for a third successive win in the Prix de Royallieu with Sea Theme.

Sea La Rosa and Sea Silk Road have provided Haggas with Group One victories in a race that has not been won by a French-trained runner since 2017.

Henry de Bromhead’s Term Of Endearment, David Menuisier’s Caius Chorister and O’Brien’s Port Fairy are among 16 left in.

There are 11 left in the Prix Dollar, including Brian Meehan’s Jayarbee, the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat and Ed Walker’s Almaqam.

Haggas’ Maljoom and Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy are among 13 in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein, while St Leger runner-up Illinois is one of 11 in the Prix Chaudenay.

There are supplementary entry stages for all races on Wednesday.



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Kyprios team ‘probably looking’ to take Cadran path

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The Prix du Cadran appears the most likely next port of call for star stayer Kyprios.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge was a spectacular victor at ParisLongchamp two years ago, winning by 20 lengths despite hanging badly across the track in the home straight.

That victory put the seal on a vintage campaign which also saw him win the Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger – and while he was beaten in each of his two starts last term after recovering from a career-threatening injury, he has bounced back to regain all three of those titles this season.

In the aftermath of his most recent triumph at the Curragh, O’Brien did not rule out the possibility of Kyprios dropping back in trip for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 6, but he appears set to stick to the staying route the previous afternoon.

Fiona Craig, racing adviser to part-owners Moyglare Stud Farm, said: “I think he’s probably looking at the Cadran, all being well. With Kyprios that does come down to how he is a couple of days beforehand.

“I don’t think he’ll run in the Arc, I think it will be the Cadran or the Long Distance Cup at Ascot, and the further he goes the better.

“After the injury, we just have to see how he is a few days before he runs, but I took Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner, Moyglare owner) down to see him after the Leger win and he seemed good.

“I think the hope is to bring him back next year and go for the Gold Cup again. He obviously got injured last year and came back and ran two brave races and he’s definitely a much better horse now.

“One day there’ll be a horse out there that can beat him, at the moment there isn’t.”



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‘One in a million’ Kyprios not ruled out of Arc contention

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Aidan O’Brien was not ruling out a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Kyprios after the popular stayer took back his crown in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh.

The son of Galileo carried all before him in 2022, winning the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp, but suffered a life-threatening injury the following spring and was beaten on his Irish Leger comeback and again on Champions Day at Ascot, albeit performing with credit given the circumstances.

The six-year-old has returned to his very best this season, however, regaining the Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup, and it was no surprise he was the 2-5 favourite market leader to do the same in the final Classic of the year on home soil.

After tracking his pacesetting stablemate The Euphrates for much of the one-mile-six-furlong contest, Kyprios was bustled into the lead at the top of the home straight as Ryan Moore looked to draw the finish out of Marco Botti’s Yorkshire Cup and Princess of Wales’s Stakes hero Giavellotto.

The latter was travelling ominously well in the hands of Oisin Murphy but was unable to reel in the hot favourite, who galloped on remorselessly to prevail by two and a quarter lengths.

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban came from the rear of the field to throw down his challenge and split Kyprios and Giavellotto in second.

Kyprios on his way to another victory at the Curragh
Kyprios on his way to another victory at the Curragh (Niall Carson/PA)

“He’s so special and we can see what he did there today,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a very, very special horse and every year he seems to be improving. That even looks to be his best again. Ryan said he won so easy.

“It’s a special place and a special race and these kind of horses are once in a lifetime.

“In the Ascot Gold Cup very few horses are able to get that far (two and a half miles), but this horse has serious class as well.

“He’s so genuine to get through what he did and still be the way he is and stay the way he does and relax the way he does. He’s one in a million.”

Paddy Power make Kyprios their 4-6 favourite from 11-10 for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup while offering 25-1 from 50-1 for the Arc.

When asked if he could run again this year, O’Brien added: “I’m not sure, he doesn’t have to. The way we approach every race is that we see how he is and have a chat and then see if we go again.

“He looks very fresh there. He could run in an Arc, we knew that, at any time. It’s important to mind him, do the right thing for him, and let him tell us how he is and where he wants to go at that time of the year.

“There is only one Arc and he has a serious engine. He just doesn’t get tired, he keeps going.”

Reflecting on the issue that Kyprios had last year, O’Brien said: “He got an infection in a joint capsule, but Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner of Moyglare Stud) was so patient with him and there was no pressure to do anything with him.

“Whether he raced or didn’t last year there was absolutely no pressure and it’s the patience that Eva had with him.

Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner, owner of Kyprios, and Ryan Moore with the trophy after winning the Comer Group International Irish St Leger
Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner, owner of Kyprios, and Ryan Moore with the trophy after winning the Comer Group International Irish St Leger (Niall Carson/PA)

“There are so many people did a lot of work with him and we’re so grateful to them all.

“Having so much time and no pressure on anybody gave us the time to get him back.”

Bucher-Haefner, daughter of the late Walter Haefner, who purchased Moyglare in 1962, said: “It’s the first time I’ve been here that he’s won. I was here last year and he was second. What beautiful work they’ve done with him because he was quite sick.”

When asked if we’d see him next year, she said: “I’d say yes, I would love to see him again.”



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Resurgent Kyprios looking to snatch back Irish St Leger title

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Kyprios will be a warm order to cement his status as the world’s leading stayer by regaining his crown in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge looked set to dominate the division for years to come after a faultless 2022 campaign which saw him win the Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup, the Irish Leger and the Prix du Cadran, but a life-threatening injury suffered the following spring looked set to bring his career to an end.

His trainer felt it was a remarkable feat in itself that the six-year-old made it back to the track in the autumn.

And while defeats in this race and again on Champions Day at Ascot suggested his best days may be behind him, Kyprios has re-established himself as the staying king this term by winning a second Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup ahead of his return to home soil this weekend.

“I thought there was no chance in the world that he could come back, I don’t think anybody did, so it was incredible what the people around him did,” said O’Brien.

“We’re very happy with him, he’s in very good form. He’s a hard horse to read, as he’s very lazy and only does what he has to do, but he did look very good at Goodwood the last day.”

The Ballydoyle handler already has one eye on a potential third Gold Cup success at Royal Ascot next summer, adding: “That is what we’ll be dreaming about. It’s very hard to get a Gold Cup horse, as with those classy stayers, once you get past the two-and-a-quarter, very few get that far.

“He’s an unusual horse in that he’s a Group horse over a mile and a quarter, I’d say, but he gets two-and-a-half, which is very rare.”

Giavellotto winning the Yorkshire Cup in May
Giavellotto winning the Yorkshire Cup in May (Mike Egerton/PA)

The biggest threat to Kyprios appears to be Marco Botti’s Giavellotto, who has enjoyed back-to-back Group Two wins in Britain this season – landing the Yorkshire Cup at York’s Dante meeting in May and the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket in July.

Botti feels his stable star has plenty in his favour at the Curragh on Sunday, but is under no illusions about the obstacle standing in his way.

“This has been the plan for a while and he seems in good order. The ground is hopefully not going to be too soft and it’s nice Oisin Murphy is able to ride him, as we don’t have to change a combination that has worked well so far this year,” said the Newmarket-based Italian.

“We freshened him up after Newmarket and he’s lightly-raced this year. He likes a bit of space between his races, so I don’t think that should be an issue.

“Kyprios is a very good horse and obviously it’s a strong race, but we knew that. Our horse seems to be in the same form he was before he won the Princess of Wales, so fingers crossed.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban finished second to Giavellotto in the Yorkshire Cup and has since finished fourth in the Gold Cup, third in the Curragh Cup and won the Lonsdale Cup on his return to York last month.

Connections will be hoping for a positive showing to tee him up for a second tilt at the Melbourne Cup in November.

O’Brien has a second string to his bow in The Euphrates, while Giavellotto is joined on the trip across the Irish Sea by Karl Burke’s Al Qareem.

Adrian Murray’s Crypto Force and German raiders Waldadler and Nastaria complete the line-up.



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O’Brien has Whistlejacket booked for Phoenix Stakes duty

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Aiden O’Brien’s Whistlejacket is all set for Group One action in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

The chestnut son of No Nay Never – a full-brother to Little Big Bear – was a Listed winner in the First Flier earlier in the season after finishing runner-up on debut.

At Royal Ascot he was fourth in the five-furlong Norfolk Stakes after coming with a late run, but regained the winning thread when taking the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket last month, enjoying the move to six furlongs.

Ryan Moore gives Whistlejacket a well-deserved pat after victory at Newmarket
Ryan Moore gives Whistlejacket a well-deserved pat after victory at Newmarket (David Davies for The Jockey Club)

That form was nicely boosted at Goodwood, when the third horse home, Aomori City, landed the Vintage Stakes.

The next port of call for Whistlejacket will be the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, where he will be the Ballydoyle representative in preference to stablemate Fairy Godmother.

“Whistlejacket will run there, that’s the plan. Everything is good with him and that’s always been the plan for him,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a very straightforward horse. It just didn’t click at Ascot, when he was getting going the race was just finished.”

O’Brien also provided an update on Kyprios, a brilliant winner of the Goodwood Cup who is bound for the Irish St Leger to try to regain the title he won in 2022 and missed out on by only three-quarters of a length last year, in what was a remarkable run following nearly a year on the sidelines.

Kyprios was a class apart in winning the Goodwood Cup
Kyprios was a class apart in winning the Goodwood Cup (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“He’s very good. It’s six weeks to the Curragh so that’s probably where we’ll go,” O’Brien said.

“We just want to keep him safe, get through the rest of the year and get to next year with him.”

Of the possibility the Irish Leger being the last race of Kyprios’ season, O’Brien added: “It could be, I’d imagine. He could go to Arc weekend, but that’s what we’ll do at the moment anyway. We’ll take it one at a time.”

Asked if he could be tempted by the Arc for Kyprios, O’Brien said: “I suppose it’s going to depend on what else is there. It’s just about getting him through the winter now to get him to next year.

City Of Troy and jockey Ryan Moore after winning the Coral-Eclipse
City Of Troy and jockey Ryan Moore after winning the Coral-Eclipse (Steven Paston for The Jockey Club)

“Those Gold Cup horses are very rare, very unusual, and it’s very hard to get them. We’ve had so many good horses, but when they go past two miles the gauge just stops.

“He’s very good, what he did last year totally surprised me and I think that was the greatest performance of all out of him, his two runs last year.”

Meanwhile, Derby and Eclipse hero City Of Troy remains on course for the Juddmonte International at York’s Ebor meeting, with O’Brien saying: “At the moment everything is going good and that’s where we’re going.”



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Comeback king Kyprios hailed as ‘so genuine’ by O’Brien

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In the most despairing moments of Kyprios’ life-threatening injury, it seemed hopeless to think of him returning to the racecourse, let alone coming back better than ever.

The chestnut looked to be the staying champion-elect at the start of the 2022 campaign and he did not disappoint, striding through the year in an unbeaten run that included four successive Group Ones.

The Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup, the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran were all collected that term, but the joy of those successes was then tempered by a troubling joint infection that developed into the most serious of injuries.

It took all the patience and expertise of trainer Aidan O’Brien’s team to get the horse back on his feet, but his racing career was an afterthought when his life hung in the balance.

Those efforts were rewarded when the horse returned to action last season to finish second in both the Irish St Leger and the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day, two performances that seemed miraculous considering the doubt that had hung over Kyprios’ future.

The Qatar Goodwood Festival – Day One – Goodwood Racecourse
Kyprios en route to victory (Andrew Matthews/PA)

But there was more in store and in defiance of the received wisdom that tells you ‘they never come back’, the horse has recaptured his old sparkle since his first run of the term.

The Gold Cup at Ascot was regained in June, and in Sussex Kyprios was the 8-13 favourite under Ryan Moore to take ownership of the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup once again.

The six-year-old will have given connections little to worry about throughout the race, and on the turn for home he was clearly faring best of all in a field of seasoned stayers.

His four-length triumph, which was a course record, came at a canter on the line and he remains a shining example of the remarkable horsemanship of those who have guided him back to this point.

O’Brien said: “People go through very tough times in life and this horse is a perfect example of the animal side of that.

“He’s very tough, we thought he couldn’t come back but he did come back. He’s so genuine, he wears his heart and his soul on his sleeve every day.

“He sweated a lot today and didn’t stop sweating, probably because it is so warm, so we were a bit worried about that.

“He was a little different to how he normally is, so we were so relieved when it was over. Anyone who follows a thoroughbred will see the genuineness of this one and he always keeps a little bit – I think it’s an incredible story.

“He’s like an athlete with an awful lot of miles on him, so all his needs have to be tended to on a daily basis, all the time.

“We are very lucky that we have the facilities and the people to be able to do that.

“Obviously, you need the character with the will to be able to take it and to want to do it. We have to be very respectful of him all the time and appreciate him.”



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Kyprios continues resurgence with Goodwood Cup stroll

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Kyprios cemented his status as the best stayer in the land with a comprehensive victory in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.

Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old was the dominant force in the division in 2022, winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger before rounding off an unbeaten campaign with a jaw-dropping 20-length demolition job in the Prix du Cadran.

A career-threatening injury restricted him to just two outings last term and he was beaten on both occasions, but he had roared back to his best this season, winning each of his first three starts, including a successful defence of his Gold Cup crown last month.

With regular partner Ryan Moore in the plate, the son of Galileo was an 8-13 favourite to regain his Goodwood title and his supporters will have had few concerns for the duration of the two-mile contest.

After being briefly nudged along rounding the home turn, Kyprios soon came back on the bridle and was cantering all over his rivals halfway up the straight.

Gold Cup third Sweet William did his best to make a race of it, but he was not in the same league as the winner, who had four lengths in hand at the line and was value for more.

Sweet William’s stablemate Gregory was just a head further behind in third, with popular veteran Trueshan – winner of the Goodwood Cup in 2021 – staying on for fourth.

Jockey Ryan Moore celebrates with the Goodwood Cup
Jockey Ryan Moore celebrates with the Goodwood Cup (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Of Kyprios, Moore said: “He slipped on the top bend today and I was always struggling with my rhythm on him then, so it was always going against him the whole race.

“I ended up having to go there at the two (furlong pole) when I would ideally have liked to wait a bit longer, but he’s just very high class.

“This fella is very, very good. He wouldn’t show you how good he is, but he’s very good. He’s not an Arc horse, he stays well but he wouldn’t be disgraced.

“I remember Aidan ringing me and telling me what happened to him at the end of his good year. I never thought we would see him run again, so all credit to everyone at Ballydoyle for a massive effort.

“It’s fun to ride him because you know he’s that much better than the rest.”

O’Brien added: “He’s a very special horse. He has so much class, really he was going along in second gear the whole time.

“It wasn’t easy for Ryan because he said he felt on the bend he was different to before, obviously he’s had his injury. Ryan said he felt him slip on the top bend and he was always trying to gather him and help him.

“It was an incredible ride, he’s an incredible horse. Obviously, we know that he stays well but he has a lot of class as well, I’m delighted for everybody.”

The Qatar Goodwood Festival – Day One – Goodwood Racecourse
Connections of Kyprios celebrate their Goodwood Cup triumph (Andrew Matthews/PA).

Betfair make Kyprios a 33-1 shot for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but O’Brien is not planning to drop back in trip for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest.

“The Gold Cup is a very important race for him every year, we were minding him for that,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

“We thought if he was OK, we might bring him back to an Irish St Leger again, he’ll hopefully be OK tomorrow and we’ll have him back for that and then have him next year again.

“We have to be very respectful to him, you saw where he came from and it’s hard to believe he’s here today. He did find the undulations of the track a little more difficult than he did before.”

John Gosden saddled the second and third in the Goodwood Cup
John Gosden saddled the second and third in the Goodwood Cup (David Davies/PA)

John Gosden was pleased with the performance of the two placed horses, Sweet William and Gregory.

He said: “They were two solid runs behind a very good horse. We are delighted. Races like the Lonsdale Cup at York and Doncaster Cup will be the direction we will go.

“I am pleased with Gregory. He scoped perfectly going into Royal Ascot but not perfectly coming out of it. That can happen when you have everything spot-on. Something can just come along.

“I don’t know where Kyprios will go next. Irish St Leger? But we won’t be afraid to take him on again. They all have off days, you know.”



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All eyes on staying king Kyprios in Goodwood Cup

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Kyprios is likely to be a very short price when he attempts to regain the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday.

Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer won the two-mile showpiece in 2022, in the middle of a glorious campaign which also saw him win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran – the latter by an astonishing 20 lengths.

He looked set to rule the division for a long time, but almost lost his life in the following spring and O’Brien felt it was a bonus to get him back for two races last autumn.

This year has been much more straightforward, with Kyprios winning the Vintage Crop and Saval Beg before reclaiming the Gold Cup. Now he is aiming to do the same at Goodwood.

Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore are looking to get their hands on the Goodwood Cup once again
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore are looking to get their hands on the Goodwood Cup once again (Steven Paston/PA)

“He’s a very special horse with a lot more class than most people think,” said O’Brien.

“He does stay, which is unusual, but he’d have no problem being a Group horse over a mile and a quarter. 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.

“Obviously we’ve been delighted to have him back this year, given what happened to him.

“Everything has gone smoothly since Ascot, we’ve been delighted. Hopefully he’ll run well again.”

Gregory (left) was a Royal Ascot winner last year but has failed to win since
Gregory (left) was a Royal Ascot winner last year but has failed to win since (John Walton/PA)

His main market rivals are the John and Thady Gosden-trained duo of Sweet William and Gregory.

Gregory won the Queen’s Vase at Ascot last year, but is without a win since. He appeared not to see out the trip in the Gold Cup, but John Gosden felt he was not right on the day.

“Gregory just wasn’t right there, and he wasn’t right after the race. He’d worked well going into it, but he just didn’t fire and that can happen,” he said.

James Doyle will take the ride and he concurs.

“Gregory’s work has been good since Ascot, where he just wasn’t 100 per cent,” said Wathnan Racing’s retained rider.

“I’m sure it was his well-being, rather than the trip, that was the problem there, but coming back to two miles wouldn’t be a negative for him. We are on the comeback trail and he seems in good order.”

There is another previous winner in the line up with Alan King’s popular eight-year-old Trueshan back for another go.

He struck in 2021 and having seemingly been on the downgrade with two defeats earlier in the season, bounced back to winning ways in the Coral Marathon last time out.

No horse has done as much for Hollie Doyle's career as Trueshan
No horse has done as much for Hollie Doyle’s career as Trueshan (Steven Paston/PA)

His rider Hollie Doyle is just hoping the ground does not dry up too much.

“Hopefully it will still be good ground at least on the first day. It was a great day when he won the Goodwood Cup three years ago, and that first Group One win was so well deserved after all he had done.

“He’s often been bogged down by penalties since then, so it was just lovely to see him enjoying himself at Sandown last time.

“It’s a deeper race at Goodwood this time, but I just hope Sandown has done his confidence good.”

Karl Burke’s Al Qareem, Andrew Balding’s Coltrane and the Brian Ellison-trained Tashkhan complete the field.



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Superstar stayer Kyprios in top shape for Goodwood Cup

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Aidan O’Brien is preparing to head to the Qatar Goodwood Festival with a team of horses headed by his star stayer Kyprios, although the Ballydoyle trainer has sounded a slight warning note over ground conditions.

The chestnut has returned this year in perfect form, reclaiming the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on his most recent start in a remarkable comeback considering how close he came to losing his life.

It was a joint infection that stopped his career in its tracks and the arduous rehabilitation process only made victory sweeter when the horse came back having lost none of his ability.

Kyprios was the winner of the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup in 2022 when looking to be the new dominant stayer on the scene, and now he is heading back to the Sussex Downs to try to reclaim the same prize.

“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,” said O’Brien.

“He’s a very special horse and has a lot of class. He has a lot more class than most people think.

Kyprios in action at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)
Kyprios in action at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)

“He does stay, but he’d have no problem being a Group horse over one mile and two furlongs.

“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.”

Stablemate Point Lonsdale could either join or replace Kyprios in the race depending on conditions, with O’Brien adding: “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 one mile and seven furlongs well. He might get two miles as well.

Boodles May Festival – Day Three – Chester Racecourse
Point Lonsdale and Ryan Moore (David Davies/PA)

“He’s a horse with a lot of class and we saw in his last run he wasn’t beaten far in a Group One over one mile and four furlongs. He’s a lovely horse with a great mind.”

The Qatar Sussex Stakes looks set to be a rematch of the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot as Rosallion, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech all meet again.

O’Brien has claimed the race six times and is one win away from tying Sir Henry Cecil’s record of seven wins in the one-mile feature.

Henry Longfellow was the runner-up at the Royal meeting and his trainer is looking forward to seeing him renew his rivalry with the best horses in the division at Goodwood.

“We always thought he was a special horse based on what he did last year,” he said.

“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.”

Pat Smullen Race Day – Curragh Racecourse – Saturday 26th August
Opera Singer previously at the Curragh (Brian Lawless/PA)

Opera Singer is O’Brien’s hope for the Qatar Nassau Stakes after her second-placed run behind the superb Porta Fortuna in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“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,” he said of the filly.

“We were always going to step up to a mile and two furlongs in the Qatar Nassau Stakes with her after that. We’re very happy with her and everything has gone well since Ascot.”

The unbeaten Jan Brueghel is set to run in the Group Three John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes, after which he could contest in the final British Classic of the season in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.

“The plan with Jan Brueghel is the Gordon Stakes. We always thought he was going to stay and could stay further,” O’Brien said.

“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.”

The Lillie Langtry trophy has never made its way back to Ballydoyle but O’Brien is hoping Grateful can change that when she flies the flag for the stable in the Group Two.

“She’s a Galileo filly and she’s the last of the Galileo’s out of Tepin. She has the most incredible pedigree,” he said.

“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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Courageous Kyprios completes ‘million to one’ comeback

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In 2022, the long and enjoyable Stradivarius era looked to be coming to a close, the staying division having been dominated by a striking chestnut with a white face and huge fan club.

Almost immediately, there seemed a natural successor, the baton was passed when Aidan O’Brien’s Kyprios defeated Stradivarius in the Gold Cup and proceeded to land the Goodwood Cup, the Irish St Leger and the Prix du Cadran in a flawless campaign.

Injury then intervened and not in a gentle way, the joint capsule in Kyprios’ off fore fetlock became infected and it was not just his racing career that then hung in the balance.

The injury can cause a total loss of use of the limb and it was therefore a very real possibility that the horse would not come out of the other side.

The patience of his owners, the unfaltering faith of his trainer and the meticulous care Kyprios received from those around him prevented that fate, but even a runaway optimist would have been hard pressed to imagine him ever returning to the track in the same form, if at all.

Royal Ascot 2024 – Day Three – Ascot Racecourse
Kyprios and Ryan Moore winning the Gold Cup (David Davies/PA)

The fact he came back to run twice last season was miraculous enough, and those were two solid second-placed efforts in the Irish St Leger and the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup – sure signs his talent had not diminished.

This year, the chestnut took the Listed Vintage Crop on his seasonal debut at Navan and Leopardstown’s Group Three Saval Beg next time out, more firm evidence that he was still the force of old.

When returning to Ascot for the Gold Cup, this time he was the 10-11 favourite, a status that seemed fitting given his recent runs, but was astonishing considering he could have once been considered lucky to be alive.

Under Ryan Moore, he competed in what was a proper horse race, culminating in a neck-and-neck tussle with John and Thady Gosden’s Trawlerman in the final two furlongs.

Kyprios was the horse who dug deepest, drawing perhaps on the same resilience and will that lifted him quite literally to his feet after a near-death experience and carried him through the process of having to learn to be a racehorse again.

Royal Ascot 2024 – Day Three – Ascot Racecourse
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore after the victory (John Walton/PA)

“It’s a million to one, it’s almost impossible to come back from what he came back from,” O’Brien said.

“At one stage, we weren’t sure that he would live, but then he came back, we had to teach him how to walk and get him on a treadmill.

“Then we had to teach him how to trot and how to canter, this was before a rider ever went near him.

“It was like someone having the most horrific injury, a human being, and going from winning the Olympics to having to learn to move and walk, then getting back to the very top level.

“It shouldn’t have happened, I don’t know how it happened. I think it was because of all the people around him who did so much, day in, day out, and were so committed. Everyone put him first.

Royal Ascot 2024 – Day Three – Ascot Racecourse
Kyprios returning to the paddock (Yui Mok/PA)

“I have never experienced anything within 100 miles of it. He got an infection in his joint and it got into his joint capsule, usually what happens then is that they lose the movement in the joint – and for a while he did, but it came back.

“It shouldn’t have happened, to come back like that, but it happened. Nothing is impossible.”

Moyglare Stud bred and still jointly own Kyprios, alongside Michael Tabor, John Magnier, Paul Smith and Westerberg, and the stud’s Fiona Craig was as amazed as O’Brien to see him triumph by a length after the ordeal of his injury.

“It is all down to Aidan, I saw him all the way through and I never thought he’d make it here,” she said.

“The horse has a heart the size of a house; he battled to live, he battled to come back. Aidan never lost confidence, he just said ‘give him time’.

“Now we go on and we just dream about the future. I said to Michael Tabor, ‘we’ll see you here next year!’.

“With the injury, he doesn’t have much mileage, his two runs last year were just stunning. He wasn’t ridden until the beginning of July and he ran in the Irish St Leger (in September), it just goes to show, that’s the horse. He will always try.”



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King Kyprios rules once more in Gold Cup classic

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Kyprios turned the tables on his old rival Trawlerman to regain his crown in a pulsating renewal of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.

Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old was the dominant force in the division when landing the two-and-a-half-mile showpiece two years ago, also triumphing in the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger before a sensational 20-length victory in the Prix du Cadran.

A career-threatening injury restricted him to just two outings last season and he was beaten on both occasions, including a neck defeat to Trawlerman on Champions Day – but Kyprios reversed the form on the day that mattered most to become the first horse since Kayf Tara in 2000 to regain the Gold Cup.

Kyprios and Ryan Moore received a tremendous welcome on return to the winner's enclosure
Kyprios and Ryan Moore received a tremendous welcome on return to the winner’s enclosure (Molly Hunter/PA)

Following workmanlike wins on home soil this spring at Navan and Leopardstown respectively, the chestnut son of Galileo was sent off the 11-10 favourite and always looked well positioned in behind the front-running Trawlerman and the keen-going Caius Chorister.

Ryan Moore asked the strong-travelling Kyprios to close down Trawlerman at the top of the home straight and while the latter did not go down without a fight, Moore always looked confident his mount would find enough to get the job done and he eventually did just that, with a length separating the pair at the line.

Trawlerman’s John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Sweet William was five lengths further back in third, with Willie Mullins’ Vauban running well for a long way and momentarily looking a danger before ultimately faltering into fourth.

Moore said: “It was smooth early, that’s where I wanted to be and then the filly (Caius Chorister) ran off with Benoit (De La Sayette) and I was having to go round her. He started travelling a bit too well too early again and I got there going very easy.

“I said to Aidan that he’s the class horse in the race and he stays the best, so I’ve just got to get it right. I didn’t get it quite right, but he still won.

“He’s an unbelievable horse. Aidan knows exactly what they need to do, he knows how to get them here better than anyone.

“It’s lovely to ride a horse like this.”

O’Brien said: “Ryan gave him an incredible ride, I’m delighted. There are incredible people around him and he’s an incredible horse.

Ryan Moore with Aidan O'Brien are Gold Cup kings again
Ryan Moore with Aidan O’Brien are Gold Cup kings again (John Walton/PA)

“It wasn’t easy because he passed the second horse here last year (Champions Day) and he came back at him, I could see Ryan biding his time. It was incredible really, it’s masterful stuff, really.

“It’s not simple but this is an incredible horse, I’m delighted for everybody really.

“Ryan is a master and it was a genius ride. I could see what he was at, he wanted to be handy as he thought the pace was slow.

“He had to sit back a little as he didn’t want to get there too early, it’s tricky, it’s a fine balancing act the whole time but it was masterful.”

O’Brien paid credit to the owners, which comprise Moyglare Stud, the Coolmore partners and Westerberg.

“The owners are the ones to have the patience to let it happen and the confidence to make it happen. For us it’s just a privilege to be working with such special horses, that’s the bottom line really,” he said.

“At one stage it didn’t look like he was going to live. Then it was getting him to stand, getting him to walk, getting him to trot, getting him to canter again.

“He always had the most incredible mind and that was his power, his mind.

“I thought at every stage it was never going to happen, we gave him a chance and no one was in it for themselves. They were for him.”



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Kyprios sights set on Gold Cup repeat

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Kyprios is out to regain his crown in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.

The Aidan O’Brien trained six-year-old beat Mojo Star by half a length to win the 2022 renewal, but was absent last year as he was restricted to just two runs by injury and finished second in both of those races, including when beaten a neck by the reopposing Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup.

But this season he has shown a return to the type of form that saw him win six out of six as a four-year old.

He has beaten Queenstown twice as a long odd-on favourite over a mile and three-quarters at Navan and Leopardstown and the step back up to two and a half miles will hold no fears for the son of Galileo.

Aidan O’Brien (left) and Ryan Moore hold up the Ascot Gold Cup
Aidan O’Brien (left) and Ryan Moore hold up the Ascot Gold Cup (David Davies/PA)

O’Brien said: “Kyprios is a hardy horse and everything has gone well with him, he’s training well and seems in good form. He’s an unbelievable horse and to have him back to this pitch, we’re delighted really.

“I don’t think there is any worries about the ground and I always thought he wanted nice ground, he’s a very good mover.”

Victory for David Menuisier’s Caius Chorister would cap a remarkable career trajectory for his five-year-old mare.

The daughter of Golden Horn won off a handicap mark of 53 at Yarmouth as recently as May 2022 before working her way up to Group race territory over the last eight months.

She landed the Group Three Prix Belle de Nuit in France in October before being headed in Gold Cup trials at Ascot and Sandown by Coltrane and Sweet William respectively, both times when conceding a 3lb penalty.

Sweet William, right, beats Caius Chorister, left, by a head in the Chasemore Farm Henry II Stakes at Sandown
Caius Chorister, left, has been beaten by a head in her last two starts (John Walton/PA)

“She’s been unbelievable from the start, because she’s never really shown much on the gallops and she’s not the prettiest, although we love her, don’t get me wrong. She’s so tough and she always turns up,” Menuisier told the British Champions Series.

“The only race she’s disappointed was when the lad who rides her at home was away following a family bereavement, so perhaps she was grieving too. She didn’t win last year until Saint-Cloud in October, but I think she was extremely unlucky in the Ebor.

“She’s amazing and I take my hat off to her every morning when she walks past. She’s a street fighter. Whatever happens we’ll enjoy the day, but I’m keeping everything crossed that she can win the race, not for me or for Clive (Washbourn, owner) but for her.

“It would be fantastic if she could strike at Group One level after working her way up from 53.”

Gregory represents Wathnan Racing who won the race last year with the currently sidelined Courage Mon Ami.

Gregory and Frankie Dettori (left) on the way to winning the Queen’s Vase
Gregory and Frankie Dettori (left) on the way to winning the Queen’s Vase (David Davies/PA)

Gregory won at the meeting last season in the hands of Frankie Dettori when landing the Queen’s Vase and he warmed up for this race with his only appearance this season when third to Giavellotto in the Yorkshire Cup during the Dante Festival.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to Wathnan, is confident Gregory can stay the course over a distance five and a half furlongs further than he has ever run before.

“We were delighted with York and thought it was a great prep for this, I thought he was finishing off strongly.

“It was amazing for Wathnan to win this race last year in what was really their first few weeks of ownership and it’s amazing to be going back with a colt with another chance.

“It’s a very tough race and Kyprios is a worthy favourite, but there’s others in there to worry about as well. Hopefully he can be a good substitute for Courage Mon Ami.

“I think he will stay but you never know until you run them over those extreme distances.

“The one thing James (Doyle) has always said is he has such a great temperament and that is such an asset in those staying races because you have to gallop down the hill and many horses lock on there, and James felt he would just be able to switch him off for two miles and get him into a rhythm and that is so important in those staying races.”

Trawlerman will be hoping to deny Kyprios once again when the pair renew their rivalry over two and a half miles.

Trawlerman, right, defeats Kyprios, left, by a neck at Ascot
Trawlerman, right, defeated Kyprios, left, by a neck at Ascot last October (John Walton/PA)

It will be the first appearance on British soil for John and Thady Gosden’s charge since defeating his O’Brien-trained rival by a neck on Champions Day in October.

He finished three and a half lengths behind Tower Of London in third in the Dubai Gold Cup in March, with William Buick, who rides the six-year-old for the first time, confident of another strong showing.

“I sat on him for the first time and rode work on him last week, and he’s in great form,” Buick said. “He was a good third in the Dubai Gold Cup and the question with him and a lot of the others is the last half mile.

“I haven’t had much luck in the Gold Cup, but he’d be one of my better rides in it for sure.”



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Kyprios tops 10 contenders for Gold Cup crown

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Kyprios will face nine rivals as he bids to regain his Gold Cup crown at Royal Ascot on Thursday.

Aidan O’Brien’s stayer is one of the hottest favourites of the week in the marathon event, a race he won in 2022 to kickstart a run of four successive Group One victories.

He sustained an injury early last season which kept him off the track until the Irish St Leger in September, when he finished second before being narrowly beaten in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day.

O’Brien has been thrilled to have an uninterrupted start to this campaign, with Kyprios winning the Vintage Crop Stakes and Saval Beg already.

John and Thady Gosden’s Gregory is seen as his main threat. Winner of the Queen’s Vase last year, he has stepped into the breach to fill the void left by injured stablemate Courage Mon Ami, winner of the race 12 months ago.

Trawlerman (right) beat Kyprios on Champions Day
Trawlerman (right) beat Kyprios on Champions Day (John Walton/PA)

The Gosdens also run Trawlerman, who beat Kyprios on Champions Day and Sweet William.

Willie Mullins has yet to win the Gold Cup and having dominated the National Hunt scene for years, it is an itch he would love to scratch with Vauban.

A Triumph Hurdle winner, he landed a handicap at this meeting 12 months ago before an unsuccessful run in the Melbourne Cup.

Coltrane, Enemy, Prydwen, Trueshan and the mare Caius Chorister complete the field.

Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten Diamond Rain, a daughter of the Oaks winner Dancing Rain, is one of 13 in the Ribblesdale Stakes.

Andrew Balding’s Kalpana is well fancied as is Ralph Beckett’s You Got To Me, who finished fourth in the Oaks. Beckett also runs Epsom seventh Forest Fairy.

Kalpana is well fancied in the Ribblesdale
Kalpana is well fancied in the Ribblesdale (Bradley Collyer/PA

The Gosdens field Danielle, Siyola and Queens Fort, with Aidan O’Brien sending Port Fairy and Oaks ninth Rubies Are Red.

There are 14 two-year-olds set to go to post for the Group Two Norfolk Stakes, in which O’Brien’s Whistlejacket comes up against Wesley Ward’s Saturday Flirt.

The Archie Watson-trained Aesterius and Karl Burke’s Shareholder run for Wathnan Racing, with the same owner fielding Andre Fabre’s French Derby runner up First Look in the Hampton Court Stakes, which also features the well-fancied King’s Gambit among 12 contenders.

A maximum field of 19 has been declared for the King George V Stakes with Perisica heading the weights. Candle Of Dubai is the reserve.



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