Saffron Waldon may run at Newmarket

Aidan O'Brien has not ruled out the possibility of being double handed in the Sagitta 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday week.

After Saffron Waldon scraped home by a head in yesterday's Icon 2,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown, the Ballydoyle trainer said he will decide on Friday which of his remaining Newmarket entries, Orpen, Stravinsky and Saffron Waldon, will bid to follow up King Of Kings's success last year.

"Stravinsky has got a lot fitter since his first race and will improve from it. Michael (Kinane) was very happy with the horse today. He was educating him and didn't want to get to the bottom of him. Orpen is mentally and physically a quick horse. He was able to win first time at Goodwood last year," O'Brien surmised.

He pointed out that Orpen is 100 per cent owned by Mrs Sue Magnier while Stravinsky is jointly owned by Mrs Magnier and Michael Tabor. "Two of the three could run," O'Brien added.

Saffron Waldon, a 1.2 million guineas yearling at Goffs, needed all of yesterday's mile to wear down Mus-If by a head with the outsider Blast Of Storm just three-parts of a length behind in third.

Sean Graham leave Saffron Waldon at 25 to 1 for Newmarket but O'Brien anticipates improvement.

"Micheal said he was educating him and looking after him and it was only close home that he gave him a back-hander. He's still a Guineas possible," he said.

Dermot Weld was delighted with Mus-If who was conceding 7 lb and didn't completely rule Newmarket out after the flop of Sheikh Hamdan's Mujahid last week. "I'll discuss it with Sheikh Hamdan but the Irish Guineas is most likely," Weld said.

Weld got compensation with Tarry Flynn in the Fitzers Handicap but yesterday emphasised the sizzling start to the season made by O'Brien and Kinane who notched up four winners totalling 94 to 1.

The partnership have won every one of the four juvenile races run so far and the Nureyev colt Fasliyev made all for an easy success in the opener.

Kinane and O'Brien were again on the mark when Cupid landed the Ballysax Stakes by a rapidly diminishing neck from the English raider, Royal Rebel. Cupid took it up on the turn in and went over two lengths up before Royal Rebel fought back to some effect.

"He is lazy and was pulling up in front," was O'Brien's verdict. "He is a real tough nut who is in all the Derbys and will go for one of the Derby trials next. He is entered in all the trials in England."

The day ended with a substantial gamble on Mudaa-eb in the 10 furlong and the well bred High King drifted to 4 to 1. In hindsight it was a remarkably generous price as Kinane guided High King up the inner of Piranesi and was never under serious pressure to hold on by a length.

"This is a horse with a big future and could be anything. He was sick a few times last year and this was a nice stepping stone for him," O'Brien said.

His training colleagues found the going tough yesterday but Irene Oakes saddled her first Leopardstown winner with Provosky in the nine furlong handicap and Show Me The Money will be trained for the Irish 1,000 Guineas after overcoming traffic problems to beat Apparatchik a head in the 1,000 Guineas Trial.

Apparatchik's rider John Murtagh was given a two day ban for careless riding after this race.

Florida Pearl was pronounced "spot on" by trainer Willie Mullins after the Cheltenham Gold Cup third galloped a mile and a half after racing at Leopardstown yesterday. Florida Pearl will run in Punchestown's Heineken Gold Cup next week.