The power of Aidan O’Brien’s two-year-old team this season was underlined once again when Blackbeard struck for Group One glory at Deauville on Sunday.
Ryan Moore’s mount landed the Darley Prix Morny in resolute style, narrowly beating the 6-5 favourite Persian Force by half a length with O’Brien’s other representative, The Antarctic, third of the five runners.
It means O’Brien’s Ballydoyle team has won both top-flight juvenile prizes run in Europe to date this season, after Little Big Bear’s spectacular Phoenix Stakes triumph earlier this month.
Persian Force was a seven-length runner-up to Little Big Bear on that occasion, a performance that catapulted the Irish runner to the top of betting for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.
Blackbeard himself was cut to 16-1 by some firms for that race on the back of his own Group One success.
It was a fourth Morny win for O’Brien but a first since Johannesburg 21 years previously.
“We’re very happy with him. He [Moore] always feels like has a little bit more but he was delighted with him. He’s a proper fast, early, mature two-year-old. He jumps and takes loads of racing,” the Irishman told media in Deauville.
The son of the 2013 winner, No Nay Never, was in playful mood before the race, once again ducking to paw the ground behind the starting stalls before delivering a brief buck.
Moore had no trouble sitting tight, however, and the partnership subsequently made most of the running, the colt belying his pre-race antics by digging in admirably in the closing stages.
O’Brien indicated a tilt at the Middle Park Stakes could be next – a double completed by Johannesburg in 2001 – or Blackbeard might extend to seven furlongs in the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere over Arc weekend.
“Blackbeard’s obviously very speed-orientated. He might get further but he has a lot of speed. Obviously, he would have to come back for the seven furlong Group One [Lagadere] or the Middle Park. All those races are options for him,” he added.
Sunday’s result came on the back of a spectacular juvenile four-timer for Ballydoyle at the Curragh a day previously.
Aesop’s Fables in the Futurity and Mediate in the Debutante Stakes added to O’Brien’s grip at the top of the betting for next year’s Classics.
Like Blackbeard and Little Big Bear, both are by No Nay Never who is becoming increasingly influential on the back of the demise of Coolmore’s prepotent stallion Galileo just over a year ago.
Aesop’s Fables returned to action after his April debut and made light of the step up to seven furlongs to earn his own 2,000 Guineas quotes of as low as 14-1. It was a 15th Futurity for his trainer.
“He had a little setback after winning at Navan and was a long time off. He’s a big, strong powerful horse and is built like a sprinter.
“He travelled well and I was a bit worried about going up to seven. We’ll see how he comes out of this before deciding where we go next but you would have to be thinking Group One now,” O’Brien reported.
The champion trainer’s sole runner at Naas at Sunday, the two-year-old Dower House, also emerged on top.
Sunday’s other Group One at Deauville, the Prix Jean Romanet, saw Paddy Twomey’s Rosscarbery come up just short of the English filly Aristia.
Richard Hannon’s winner made all under Sean Levey and repelled Rosscarbery’s persistent challenge by a neck.
The Australian superstar Verry Elleegant started favourite on her European debut but proved a bitter disappointment and trailed in last of the seven runners under Frankie Dettori.
Monday’s jumps action at Ballinrobe sees Cape Gentleman return to fences after scoring on the flat at Killarney on Thursday. His 152 rating makes him the standout contender for the conditions chase.
