How do you follow not just the best season of your training career, but the best of anyone’s training career? For Aidan O’Brien, the answer could be with a victory in one of the few historic races that have eluded him thus far, after Mendelssohn’s astonishing success in the UAE Derby on Saturday set him firmly on a path towards the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on 5 May. Just five horses have made the trip from Ballydoyle to Louisville to date, including Johannesburg, who finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile the previous season. Thunder Snow, who famously bucked and reared through the first quarter-mile of last year’s Kentucky Derby, ran out an easy winner of the Dubai World Cup after a front-running ride by Christophe Soumillon which mimicked that of Moore aboard Mendelssohn. Hawkbill returned to the form of his Eclipse-winning three-year-old season to win the Sheema Classic, and complete a double on the card for Charlie Appleby after Jungle Cat’s win in the Al Quoz Sprint.

Source: The Guardian March 31, 2018 18:04 UTC