Al Riffa taking direct course to Irish Guineas date

Curragh Classic first up for National Stakes scorer.

Joseph O’Brien is planning to head straight to the Irish 2,000 Guineas with his Group One-winning colt Al Riffa.

Runner-up to Sunday’s Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial winner Hans Anderson on his debut at the Curragh last summer, Al Riffa went one better on his second start before securing a top-level victory in the National Stakes in September.

The Wootton Bassett colt is entered for the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 6, but is set to remain on home soil to contest the season’s first Irish Classic three weeks later.

“He’s obviously our flagship horse, he was a Group One-winning two-year-old and he’s the one we’re excited about,” O’Brien said at a press morning at his yard on Monday.

“The plan is to go straight to the Irish Guineas and at the moment what I’m thinking is we’ll then either go for another mile race or go 10 furlongs. I don’t think he’ll go into a Derby.

“It depends how the Guineas goes, but I don’t see him as a real stayer. He’s a horse that showed speed on the track and shows speed in his training.

“I don’t think I’ve had a higher rated two-year-old and he has the frame to go on. Physically he’d stack up with any of those top horses we’ve had.”

Above The Curve (centre) at Joseph O'Brien's yard
Above The Curve (centre) at Joseph O’Brien’s yard (Thomas Weekes/PA)

Another O’Brien inmate with Group One aspirations is Above The Curve, who struck at the top table in the Prix Saint-Alary last season and was beaten less than a length in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.

The four-year-old daughter of American Pharoah has options at home and abroad for her seasonal debut.

“She’s one of our top horses and has the option of running in the Prix Ganay or the Prix d’Ispahan and there’s also the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh and the Group Two in York (Middleton Stakes). She’ll start off in one of those and we’ll play it by ear, but she’s a Group One filly and very tough,” the trainer added.

“The Pretty Polly would be an obvious first half of the season target and you can look at international options as well. There’s a good mile-and-a-quarter fillies’ programme through the year.

“She should be at least as good this year.”

A new recruit O’Brien is looking forward to unleashing is Jumbly – a Group Three winner for Harry and Roger Charlton last season before changing hands for 1.25million guineas.

He said: “Her main target will be the mile fillies’ race at Royal Ascot (Duke of Cambridge Stakes) – that will be one of her early season targets.

“She looks good and tough and hasn’t done anything wrong all her career. She’s a little bit behind some of mine, so she won’t have her first run for another few weeks and will just have a prep run for Ascot.”

Joseph O'Brien is set for another exciting season
Joseph O’Brien is set for another exciting season (Brian Lawless/PA)

Among the three-year-olds O’Brien is hoping can make an impact this season is Listowel maiden winner Lark In The Mornin, who is set to reappear in a winners’ race at Cork before stepping up in class.

Two fillies to note are Lumiere Rock, who will line up in an Oaks trial at either Naas or Navan, and Caroline Street, who is due to contest at Guineas trial at Leopardstown.

Goldana, a four-year-old Listed winner in Germany for Peter Schiergen, could make her stable debut in either the Gladness Stakes or the Athasi Stakes, while Ottilien – last seen finishing third in the Group One Prix de Royallieu for David Menuisier – is pencilled in for a Listed race at Cork.

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