O’Brien bids to tighten hold on betting for 2023 Classics with Prix Morny duo

The 2022 Classic campaign isn’t over yet, but Aidan O’Brien’s focus on the next generation will be stamped all over this weekend’s action.

With Little Big Bear’s spectacular Phoenix victory fresh in the memory, O’Brien targets Europe’s second Group One juvenile prize of the season, Sunday’s Darley Prix Morny in Deauville, France, with both Blackbeard and The Antarctic.

Ryan Moore has opted to side with Blackbeard, who led home his stable mate in last month’s Prix Robert Papain at Chantilly. The Antarctic has since won over the course and distance at Deauville, and been supplemented into this €350,000 highlight which is off at 1.33pm Irish time and is live on Sky Sports Racing.

O’Brien once again turns to local rider Ioritz Mendizabal to ride the apparent second-string but prior to that the Spaniard is No 1 when teaming up with Never Ending Story in Saturday’s Group Two Prix Du Calvados, off at 4pm.

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The Silver Flash winner is already favourite for next year’s Oaks, and is part of a Ballydoyle stranglehold at the top of the betting for next year’s Classics.

Little Big Bear is clear favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, while Meditate, who shares top billing for the 1,000 with her stable companion Statuette, lines up for the Curragh’s Group Two Debutante Stakes on Saturday.

Auguste Rodin and Tower Of London top Derby lists, and could be joined by either Aesop’s Fables or Hans Andersen if either delivers in style in Saturday’s Futurity at HQ.

It is an imposing range of Ballydoyle juvenile firepower on the back of a largely underwhelming three-year-old crop in 2022. Luxembourg could yet rescue the season in the Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc. But only Tuesday in the Oaks has hit the Classic bullseye so far, while another filly Tenebrism landed the Jean Prat.

It leaves the star stayer Kyprios contributing twice to a handful of Group One victories so far in 2022, a tally that pales compared to 2017′s world-record haul of 28 for the trainer who has rewritten most of racing’s record books.

O’Brien won the Morny three times in four years at the turn of the century but hasn’t struck since Johannesburg 21 years ago.

Blackbeard has looked quirky at times to date but went to Royal Ascot in apparent higher regard than Little Big Bear. That status has flipped since but Blackbeard won the Papin easily and still looks progressive.

The Irish pair’s main opposition in a disappointing five-runner turn out are the Phoenix runner-up Persian Force and The Ridler, who won the Norfolk at Ascot.

If the Morny runners are relatively exposed, then it is all about potential in Saturday’s Futurity.

Some of Ballydoyle’s brightest stars over the years feature among O’Brien’s 14 winners and Moore has picked Aesop’s Fables over Hans Andersen, although with apparent little conviction that’s he’s correct. “I would have gladly ridden him or Hans Andersen,” the Englishman reported. “It wouldn’t surprise me one bit were Hans Andersen to win this either.”

Up against them though is the unbeaten Proud And Regal from Donnacha O’Brien’s team, who looks to have the happy knack of exceeding expectations. It certainly seemed the case when landing his maiden at the Curragh and it was hard to crib his subsequent Tyros success either.

Meditate has been faultless in three starts to date, including the Albany at Royal Ascot where she proved her tactical versatility. She returns to action in the Debutante where her principal danger could prove to be Zoinnocent, a filly that did not get the run of the race when runner-up to Never Ending Story last time.