Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) will not get the chance to defend his title in next weekend's GI Breeders' Cup Mile after suffering a career-ending injury on Wednesday morning.
The 4-year-old, who was a rare longshot winner of a Breeders' Cup race for trainer Aidan O'Brien last year when winning at 73-1 at Keeneland, also won this year's G2 Minstrel S. He was third in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois and second in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp before finishing last of 12 when returning to Keeneland for the GI Keeneland Turf Mile S. on Oct. 9.
“He won't get to race again,” O'Brien revealed during a Breeders' Cup press conference on Wednesday. “He had a small fracture and had a pin put in it this morning, but the operation and everything went well. He will go off to stud now.”
Order Of Australia is out of Senta's Dream (GB) (Danehill), and is therefore a half-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and four-time Group 1 winner Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) and to this year's ill-fated GI Belmont Oaks Invitational and GI Beverly D. S. winner Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Their second dam is the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf victress Starine (Fr) (Mendocino).
O'Brien is still set to be represented in the Mile by Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), while Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is entered in both the GI Turf and GI Filly & Mare Turf over a quarter-mile shorter. Interestingly, O'Brien has four Grade/Group 1 winners that need defections to get into the turf field-Bolshoi Ballet (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Broome (GB) (Australia {GB}), Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire})-and thus O'Brien said Love may go to the Filly & Mare Turf to allow first reserve Japan a run.
“It is very possible that could happen,” O'Brien said. “I think the American handicap system is a little bit different to ours. It wasn't on ratings horses were getting in. We have four Group 1 winners who are all reserves so it is possible we might have to take Love out of [the Turf] and run her in the Filly & Mares to give the other horses a chance to get into the Turf. The horses are due to fly on Saturday. We'll have an idea by then what chance they have of getting in or not.”
O'Brien's lone juvenile representative at the Breeders' Cup is Evie Stockwell, Coolmore and Westerberg's G3 Killavullan S. scorer Glounthaune (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the GI Juvenile Turf, while he also has La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) engaged in the Filly & Mare Turf.
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