Ballydoyle Works Toward Guineas

Last year's G1 Total Prix Marcel Boussac winner Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is on track to join her stablemate–and ante-post favourite–Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket May 1 after pleasing trainer Aidan O'Brien in a Saturday work. Ballydoyle bested Minding in The Curragh's G2 Debutante S. last August before that rival turned the tables in the G1 Moyglare Stud S., but Ballydoyle was able to notch a win at the highest level in the Oct. 4 Marcel Boussac in the absence of the subsequent 2-year-old filly champion. Ballydoyle has not run since, and O'Brien told Channel 4 Racing of Saturday's work, “That was lovely, you'd have to be very happy. On that piece of work, we'd be very happy to run in the English Guineas.”

Ballydoyle is currently 6-1 for the 1000 Guineas.

O'Brien will also saddle the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas favourite, Air Force Blue (War Front), who completed his final pre-Guineas work Friday. O'Brien was reserved about the 2-year-old champion's prospects of getting a mile, however, saying, “We are a little bit worried about the mile in the Guineas, because he's so quick. The ideal plan would be Newmarket, Irish Guineas and Royal Ascot, but, if not, we have the option to shorten up.”

Air Force Blue won three Group 1s last year, and was last seen taking the G1 Dewhurst S. Oct. 10.

O'Brien also has the early G1 Investec Derby favourite, U S Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), in his arsenal. That colt, currently 9-2 for the June 4 Classic, has started just once, winning a 10-furlong Curragh maiden on debut Apr. 3 over heavy going. O'Brien noted U S Army Ranger would likely take in a Chester prep race in May, the same route taken by O'Brien's 2013 Derby winner Ruler Of The World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

“Because the ground was soft, everything was in slow motion the first day he ran, so he probably didn't learn an awful lot,” the trainer said. “It's possible we'll go to Chester and he'll have to learn a lot very quickly.”