It’s not just another victory for Aidan O’Brien. The Irish coach may not know it, but Kyprios gives him his 60th success in a Group I in France. On the other hand, what he knows and which he did not hesitate to emphasize on the microphone of the racecourse, is the record that his resident has just broken: “This is the first time a horse has won eight Group Is for Coolmore.”. We can better understand the big smiles of the whole team in the photos. And besides, the little tap on the shoulder from Aidan O’Brien to Ryan Moore on the podium of the Prix du Cadran says a lot about the relationship between the two men. The Irish trainer has full confidence in his jockey. Saturday at ParisLongchamp, the British driver had full confidence in his partner. Sure of what he had between his legs, he quickly placed the son of Galileo at the forefront and then made the powder speak, increasing speed approximately every five hundred meters. We don’t know how many there are Kyprios under the hood, but in any case enough to go after the 4,000 meters of the course for a second Prix du Cadran without really pulling out all the stops.
“Running the Arc would have been a lack of respect”
Aidan O’Brien was truly charmed: “Kyprios is such a special horse! The team did a fantastic job getting him back into shape after his health issues. He has so much class… For a stayer, he has a rare capacity for acceleration. We can hope to return to Ascot for the Gold Cup next year. He also has such a strong mind. He was already like that at 2 years old! It is a great privilege to know him every day. When he walks past the house, we see that he wants to go to training. It would have been disrespectful to him to run him in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over 2,400 meters, a distance over which he has not run for a long time.” Undefeated in five outings this season, Kyprios will now be seen again at Ascot in a fortnight in the Long Distance Cup. To establish his legend a little more.
Trueshan 2nd, Double Major does not go the distance
Title holder, Trueshan must settle for second place. Sometimes, that’s enough for the happiness of those around you when the winner is not approachable. “It’s great that he’s back at his best and can approach a horse like Kyprios. He was really brilliant, magnificent… It’s a great chance to have a horse of this level. We are very happy with his second place”, commented one of its owners. The only French competitor at the start, Double Majorcould not stand the comparison in the final phase and finished fifth and last. Christophe Ferland had to face the facts after the finish: “We came across some tough horses. 4,000 meters is a different sport from 3,000. Maxime Guyon said on his way down that he couldn’t go the distance. He doesn’t have 4,000 in his legs. We had to try. If all goes well, he will defend his title (editor’s note, in the Prix Royal-Oak).” is not Kyprios who wants.
