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| Staff Writer |
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Aidan O’Brien, one of the most successful trainers in the history of the Irish St. Leger, has announced his intention to run River Tiber in the Prix Morny on Sunday. The trainer, who has won the race a total of 11 times, is optimistic about the colt's chances, but he has also warned that he suffered a setback in the lead-up to the race.
River Tiber's Unbeaten In Three Consecutive Runs
River Tiber, a promising colt who won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in his last outing, is currently the favourite for the Deauville Group One. However, he missed a piece of work two weeks ago, which has made it difficult to gauge how much fitness he has lost as a result.
“The plan is to run River Tiber. He had a setback a couple of weeks ago so there will be a cloud over him when we do run him as we’re a bit worried about his fitness, but the plan at the moment is to run,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing.
“He had a hold-up and missed his second-last piece of work so he had that week off, but he did a piece of work this week so that gave him a chance to go.
“He seems to be in good form since, but the ground that we lost you couldn’t make back up with him.”
Despite the setback, O’Brien is confident that River Tiber will perform well, even if he may not be at his best. The trainer is known for his impressive track record, having won the Irish St. Leger a total of 11 times. He has also enjoyed success in other major races, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Epsom Derby, and the Breeders' Cup.
Irish St. Leger and Adian O'Brien
The Irish St. Leger, which takes place in September each year, is one of the most prestigious races in the Irish flat racing calendar. The race is open to horses aged three years or older and is run over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs. The first Irish St. Leger was run in 1915 and it has been held annually ever since, with the exception of a few years during World War II.
Over the years, many great horses have won the Irish St. Leger, including Sadler's Wells, who won the race in 1984 and went on to become one of the most successful stallions in the history of horse racing. Another great horse to win the race was Vinnie Roe, who won the Irish St. Leger four times between 2001 and 2004.
Aidan O’Brien has been a dominant force in the Irish St. Leger in recent years, winning the race a total of 11 times. His first win in the race came in 2001 with Milan, and since then he has won the race with some of the best horses in the sport, including Yeats, who won the race four times between 2006 and 2009.
Kyprios On The Mend
In addition to River Tiber, O’Brien also provided an update on last year’s Gold Cup winner Kyprios, who has been sidelined with an injury.
“Kyprios was at the Curragh for a canter last weekend after racing and that went well. He seems to have come out of that well,” said O’Brien.
“We’re looking at maybe starting at the (Irish) Leger, but that’s a tough enough race to come back in so we’d be hoping he could run a good race, come out of it OK and then have a look at something on Arc weekend, something like that, because you couldn’t expect him to perform at his best after such a traumatic year. If it all went well we could look at next year with him.”
With O’Brien's track record of success in the Irish St. Leger, it will be interesting to see how his horses perform in the upcoming race. River Tiber may not be at his best, but he is still the favourite for the Deauville Group One and could prove to be a contender in the Prix Morny on Sunday.