Stable Tour/Ballydoyle: Brian O'Connortakes the annual trip to Ballydoyle stables to see Aidan O'Brien's blue bloods

It may be a mite perverse to visit the 140 blue-blooded residents of the world's most famous training academy and find everyone discussing two horses that aren't even there, but there was no disguising the shadows cast over Aidan O'Brien's media outing yesterday morning by both George Washington and Holy Roman Emperor.

Gorgeous George, last year's brilliant 2,000 Guineas winner, was out of sight in pre-training, but at least back in the general Ballydoyle facility, after last month's catastrophic discovery at Coolmore Stud that while the firing pin worked, the colt's ammo was disastrously less than fully live.

So while George is being swum through lakes and other mood-altering activities to get his mind off covering mares and back to running fast in a straight line, it is his former stable companion who is at Coolmore, making up the commercial shortfall from nature's reminder that certitude and horses don't mate at all well.

Happily Holy Roman Emperor's libido is well up to scratch but his absence yesterday led to a distinctly under-whelming atmosphere at his former home.

Usually, Ballydoyle's annual media morning is an exercise in excitable anticipation of the upcoming classics. This time, however, its young master didn't bother to disguise the impact of his best classic hope taking up a new career.

Holy Roman Emperor, O'Brien conceded had been "a bit ahead of the others". Asked if his leaving was a blow, he said simply: "We could have done without it." The rueful look on his face spoke more eloquently than any words, but just in case anyone missed the point, he threw in plenty of them too.

"He was our big shot at the Guineas. Through the winter everything was focused on him. He was our big shot at Teofilo.

"The Guineas was going to be the be-all-and-end-all. All our eggs were in one basket, and so I possibly took my eye off the ball a bit and let the others come along in their own time," O'Brien said.

The net result is that "the others" have had to be put in a high gear far sooner than expected if one of them is to make the grade in the Guineas races and the Derbies.

"To try and find a classic horse is our big job now," explained O'Brien who reeled off a series of names that will try to challenge the expected three-year-old domination of Teolfio. But he never once came close to hitting the enthusiastic notes he reached with George Washington last year.

Asked if he was working with more hope the confidence, the answer was an emphatic: "Yes."

Nevertheless, top of the list for the Guineas appear to be the Group One winner Mount Nelson and Duke Of Marmalade who was injured after being placed in the Champagne at Goodwood last year.

Both are set to work after racing at Leopardstown next month and then possibly follow the Ballydoyle pattern of going straight for the Guineas at Newmarket.

On the Derby front, O'Brien appeared sweet on the prospects of Motivator's full-brother Macarthur - "he could go the Ballysax and Derrinstown route" - and nominated two unraced sons of Galileo, Acapoluco and Mahler, as being in the "could be anything" category.

Before they're seen, though, both Excellent Art and Chinese Whisper will take a trip to Longchamp for the French classic trials while the Royal Lodge winner, Admiralofthefleet, could wait for quick ground in the Dante at York.

But it is surely no coincidence that many of the stars of last year are back for another term.

The double Oaks winner Alexandrova is in excellent form and O'Brien reported: "She has actually come too quick so we have had to step back a bit. We're looking to start her in the Pretty Polly."

Last year's Irish Derby winner, Dylan Thomas, looks like reappearing in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and both Yeats and Scorpion will follow the Cup route. Then there is George Washington who actually ended up getting six mares in foal before being taken out of service. Royal Ascot's Queen Anne Stakes is a possible return date.

"He's not infertile, he is sub-fertile," a Coolmore spokesman said before not ruling out a return to the stud world at the end of the season. O'Brien's task in getting the mercurial star back interested in hard work though is formidable, something the trainer knows better than anyone as he commented:

"At the moment he's going around with five legs!" O'Brien did sound unconcerned, though, about the uncertain jockey situation at Ballydoyle, with Kieren Fallon, who rode work yesterday, not due back from his drugs suspension until June and still banned completely from riding in Britain. "Our own lads are here, and then there's Mick (Kinane), Johnny (Murtagh) and Pat Smullen, as well as Christophe Soumillion to pick from," he said.

Towards the end of the morning, though, O'Brien was interrupted by a phone call from his Coolmore boss, John Magnier, and the mischievous question thrown at him after he hung up was if the call was about something else going to stud. "No," said O'Brien. "Holy Roman Emperor has got two more in foal - but he's not coming back!"

Ballydoyle's Classic Prospects

Mount Nelson

"Physically he has done well, and is a possible for the English Guineas. I know he won at a mile in France but I'm not sure he will get a mile and a half this year. He could work after racing at Leopardstown (April 22nd) and then go to Newmarket."

Duke Of Marmalade

"We always thought a lot of him but he fractured a pastern after he ran green at Goodwood in the Champagne. He's only just back but he might make the Guineas."

Macarthur

"Did well to win his only start at Navan in October. If he was going to be a Derby horse, he had to have a run but he hated the ground. It looks like he could run in the Ballysax first."

Archipenko

"He could be a Guineas and Derby kind of horse but he is just a little bit behind right now. He was impressive when he won his maiden and has done well over the winter."

Excellent Art

"Won the Mill Reef for Neville Callaghan last year and has joined us. It looks like we'll start him in a trial in France and then go back for the Guineas at Longchamp where he would have a better chance of staying a mile."

Diamond Necklace

"She's a sister to Shamardal and she is much better than she showed last year. She has done very well over the winter."