O’Brien eyes Frankel record at Breeder’s Cup

Aidan O’Brien prefers to say his success is down to teamwork but should he break the late Bobby Frankel’s 13-year world record of 25 Group One wins in a season it will be all about him.
The modest 47-year-old Irishman — whose remarkable season includes a historic 1-2-3 in Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe — heads to the two-day Breeder’s Cup meeting at Santa Anita, California with 21 Group One wins to his credit.
The quietly spoken former jumps trainer, who trains out of Ballydoyle Stables in Tipperary where the late legend but not related Vincent O’Brien sent out the likes of Nijinsky to conquer the cream of European races — has a previous best of 24 wins at the top level in 2001.
As always he brings a flotilla of top-class talent with Arc heroine Found and the runner-up that day at Chantilly, Highland Reel, the headline acts.
O’Brien has not been hesitant in racing his stable stars with Found running in three Group Ones in the past six weeks, while Highland Reel and Seventh Heaven have also raced in top-level competition, with mixed results.
Found, having won the Breeder’s Cup Turf last year, now has her sights fixed on arguably a far tougher prize, the Classic, where she must run on dirt and also take on American legend California Chrome.
O’Brien believes his filly can inflict the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner’s first defeat of this season.
“Obviously it?s an unknown, she hasn’t raced on the dirt before,” said O’Brien.
“Found is an incredible mare. She handles fast ground and soft ground. She seems very versatile, really.
“We would be over the moon, delighted, it?s a very difficult race to win and we?ll do our best, as always.”
Found running in the Classic — a race O’Brien came close to winning with Giant’s Causeway in 2000 — will allow Highland Reel to take his chance in the Turf.
His win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July at last saw him win a European Group One to add to his top-level successes in Hong Kong and the United States last year.
A journeyman, he is a horse who enjoys globetrotting and picking up lucrative prizes all over the world.
“He is a great horse — tough, consistent and runs at an unbelievably high level all the time,” said O’Brien.
“He handles all kinds of ground — very happy with fast ground — stays a mile and half well and has plenty of tactical speed.”
Seventh Heaven has the Mares and Fillies Turf race on her dance card and this time O’Brien will be praying jockey Ryan Moore does not find the endless trouble he did at Ascot on Champions Day.
It’s not the first time this season Moore has come under the microscope.
Royal Ascot proved a particularly galling week for him and he will hope if the horses don’t win it is down to them not being good enough.
Moore at least warmed up for the Santa Anita extravaganza with a 90th Group One success in Japan on Sunday.
The Breeder’s Cup is on Friday and Saturday.