Sport

O'Brien plays a Classic waiting game with Rock

RACING: A powerful team of eight left Ballydoyle yesterday bound for Arlington Park, Chicago, and the Breeders' Cup

Wed Oct 23 2002 - 01:00

RACING: A powerful team of eight left Ballydoyle yesterday bound for Arlington Park, Chicago, and the Breeders' Cup. And they included the record-breaking Rock Of Gibraltar, with trainer Aidan O'Brien confirming a decision on his participation in either the Mile or $4 million Classic will not be made until the last moment.

Joining the Alex Ferguson-owned colt on the flight to America, which left Shannon airport at 2.0 p.m, were Hawk Wing, High Chaparral and Landseer, along with the two-year-olds Hold That Tiger, Van Nistelrooy, Tomahawk and Marino Marini, who is first reserve for the Juvenile event.

Expanding on running plans, O'Brien said yesterday: "The obvious ones are High Chaparral in the Turf, Hawk Wing in the Classic and Landseer in the Mile.

"We're not going to make up our minds on Rock Of Gibraltar until we have to. We want to see how all the horses travel.

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"I want to monitor Hawk Wing to see if he's okay for the Classic, and if he is then he would run. But if he wasn't okay then Rock Of Gibraltar could go in the Classic instead.

"Landseer is only in the Mile, so he runs, barring he doesn't take the trip well. He could fall by the wayside and we could have Rock in the Mile, but it's quite possible we could end up running Rock Of Gibraltar and Landseer in the Mile.

"But we don't have to make those decisions until we have to, for the reason I want to monitor the horses, see how they take it."

O'Brien added that Hold That Tiger and Van Nistelrooy were definite starters in the Juvenile event.

"I want to particularly monitor Tomahawk because he has had a busy time recently and I want to keep an eye on him. He seemed well enough to send him.

"If he came out Marino Marini would go in, but if Tomahawk was fine and something else came out, well then I would run Marino Marini so all four colts could run in the Juvenile if they were all well.

"I want to see how the horses are when they get there and that will determine our plans."

Rock Of Gibraltar's target may still be up in the air but that has not stopped punters plunging on him in the belief that he will take his chance in the Classic rather than the Mile. Winner of a record-breaking seven successive Group One events, Rock Of Gibraltar is 7 to 2 favourite from 5 to 1 with Coral for the 10-furlong event on dirt, a trip and surface unfamiliar to "The Rock".

O'Brien is also toying with the idea of running Milan Group One winner Black Sam Bellamy in the Prix Royal-Oak, the French St Leger, at Longchamp on Sunday.

Big things were expected of Black Sam Bellamy, a full-brother to dual Derby winner Galileo, but it has taken him a while to live up to his sibling's achievements.

"Black Sam Bellamy appears to have come out of his race in Milan well and he might go to the French St Leger at Longchamp on Sunday. But I want to keep an eye on him for a day or two before we commit to that," said O'Brien.