Aidan O'Brien added to his classic pool for next year when Perigee Moon landed the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown yesterday, and then unveiled a late entry for understatement of the year when declaring: "It'll be interesting to see how they all work out!"
The Ballydoyle trainer was speaking after later scoring with yet another impressive newcomer in Mediterranean, but it was Perigee Moon who earned a 2,000 Guineas mention after notching a fourth O'Brien victory in five years in the Group Three contest.
"I imagine he will get a mile, and you would have to think he could be a Guineas horse next year. He hadn't done any work until a month before his first race and he would much prefer faster ground," said O'Brien.
With the likes of Minardi, Hemingway and Saturday's winner, Galileo, also in the team, Perigee Moon may not be quite in the front rank of the Ballydoyle squad, but he still managed to put a cosy length between himself and the outsider, Dr Brendler, with the solid favourite, Lethal Agenda, only fourth.
On the heavy ground, Mediterranean, a half brother to the Leger winner, Classic Cliche, and the Prix Vermeille scorer, My Emma, took the favoured wide route up the straight and ran out an easy four length winner from Delude in the mile maiden.
"Like a lot of them he coughed all year which held him up. But he showed loads of boot there. He's picked up from a good bit back," O'Brien said.
The trainer will send his Churchill Downs team direct to the US this morning and they will also include the two-year-old Keats, who has been sold to continue his career in America. Before that, however, Keats will accompany Honours List in a Grade Three race on dirt on Saturday.
Dermot Weld's Breeders' Cup focus will be on the Classic candidate, Pine, Dance but he praised the Trigo Stakes winner, Jammaal, as "a model of consistency" following the colt's four-length victory over Golovin.
"I thought he was a certainty today, as he loves heavy ground. When he goes for home on the soft, you'll never catch him," said Weld, who added: "He was just beaten by Monashee Mountain on the first day of the season and has been a model of consistency."
Michael Grassick unveiled a possible classic candidate in the Sadler's Wells filly, Lime Gardens, who ran out an impressive winner of the seven-furlong maiden.
"She's been very green and slow to learn at home but recently has been working very well. Even now seven furlongs is too short, and 12 furlongs will be her trip. She's something to look forward to," said Grassick.
"I wish the season was a bit longer," grinned in-form trainer Jim Gorman, who saddled his 14th winner of the season with the topweight, Miracle Ridge, in the Dargle Handicap; while the surprise mile handicap winner, Attalicus, paid almost 45 to 1 on the Tote for the official 4,060 attendance.
