Royal Ascot 2024: Aidan O’Brien gets it right this time with Auguste Rodin

Aidan O'Brien with the Prince of Wales after being presented with a saddle cloth representing his 400th Group One winner. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Aidan O’Brien has spent plenty of time kicking himself already this season, most notably over his preparation of City Of Troy for the 2,000 Guineas, and he was at it again here on Wednesday after Auguste Rodin’s three-quarter length success in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. “Honestly, I feel the blips were my fault,” O’Brien said. “The instructions were wrong, and it was time to start getting it right.”

The blips in question were a complete no-show in last year’s King George here and another in the Sheema Classic in Dubai three months ago, and since this was the sixth Group One win of Auguste Rodin’s career – and a staggering 400th at the highest level for O’Brien – it could be argued that, for the most part at least, he had been getting it right already.

But last year’s Derby winner had started to acquire a reputation as an all-or-nothing performer, first or nowhere, and if O’Brien and Ryan Moore have indeed found the key to keeping Auguste Rodin interested, there will surely be more Group One wins on his record when the season draws to a close.

Wednesday’s race went like clockwork for the 13-8 favourite, as he settled in mid-division going easily behind a strong pace and a much-anticipated challenge from Inspiral, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner at Santa Anita, completely failed to materialise. Inspiral was drawn widest of all in stall 10 but ceded even more ground with a sluggish start and never threatened to make any inroads on the leaders.

Blue Rose Cen, a dual Classic winner in France last year, set a frantic pace to three out under Christophe Soumillon but she was s spent force as they straightened up for home with Auguste Rodin clearly going best of those waiting to pounce.

Moore sent him for home just inside the final quarter-mile and while two more French-trained runners, Zarakem and Horizon Dore, did their best to chase him down, Auguste Rodin kept finding more to repel the challenge.

“He gets a mile-and-a-half very well, but when he gets to the front, he waits,” O’Brien said. “So I was probably giving him [Moore] the wrong instructions all along. We were riding him too far back and when there was no pace, he was too far out of the race.

“We changed everything, Ryan said he was going to ride him positive from now on and engage him straight away. We say today, when he gets to the front he waits, and then he goes again.”

O’Brien currently has two Derby winners in his yard and with City Of Troy, the winner at Epsom earlier this month, expected to line up for the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in July, which is usually an obvious port of call for a Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner, Auguste Rodin seems sure to head elsewhere.

“The lads [in the Coolmore syndicate] will decide, but I’m hoping there will never be any need [for the two horses to take each other on],” O’Brien said. “When those horses come along, you want to pick slots for them, space them out, appreciate them and enjoy them.”

O’Brien, meanwhile, will no doubt move swiftly on from his 400th winner at the highest level to the 401st, perhaps as soon as Thursday, when Kyprios will attempt to repeat his success in the 2022 Gold Cup, the royal meeting’s feature event. He is also likely to send Illinois, his latest winner of the Queen’s Vase earlier on the day’s card, into Group One company sooner rather than later.

Illinois is a half-brother to Danedream, the 2011 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, and is now a leading ante-post contender for the St Leger at Doncaster in September at around 6-1.

“He’s a middle-distance, mile-and-six type horse and he’s going to get better from three to four,” O’Brien said. “He’s a big, sound, honest horse and a bit of a baby mentally still. He might have a bit of a rest now and go to York [in August] on the way to the St Leger, something like that.

“When he went to the front, he flattened out and he thought the race was over, and then he [Moore] asked him to come again and he did. He probably learned a lot today.”

Kyprios set to strike Gold again

While 22 horses have won the Ascot Gold Cup more than once in the race’s 217-year history, Kyprios (4.25) will be only the third to do so in non-consecutive years if he can add to his victory as a four-year-old in 2022 in the royal meeting’s showpiece event on Thursday.

Kyprios denied the great Stradivarius a record-equalling fourth Gold Cup two years ago and looked more than capable of running up a sequence of his own in the process.

Aidan O’Brien’s runner missed out on last year’s race due to injury and eventually drew a blank from two starts in 2023, but he has looked back to his best in his two outings this year and has a significant edge on Thursday’s field on ratings.

Royal Ascot 2.30 The last two winners of this race were returned at 150-1 and 50-1 and any one of at least a dozen could find enough improvement to win. That said, however, Whistlejacket, the favourite, has very strong claims, having posted an exceptional time in the conditions when getting off the mark at the second attempt at the Curragh in early May.

Royal Ascot 3.05 There will be high hopes of a second consecutive winner for the royal colours in this race and Gilded Water, an easy winner last time, holds obvious claims. This is a deep and highly progressive field, however, and O’Brien’s Chantilly, third in a hot race at Newbury last time, is just one among many that seems sure to appreciate the step up to 12 furlongs.

Royal Ascot 3.40 Kalpana lost nothing in defeat behind Friendly Soul at Newmarket last time and should improve further for this step up in trip. The warm favourite, Diamond Rain, has beaten little in her two wins to date and Andrew Balding’s filly could be significantly overpriced at around 6-1.

Royal Ascot 5.05 The step up to a mile is likely to suit several of the principals but none more so than Mickley, a ready winner in a useful time on his handicap debut over seven furlongs last time.

Royal Ascot 5.40 An opening mark of 93 for King’s Gambit proved woefully inadequate at Newbury last month and he looks more than ready for this quick step up into Group Three company.

Royal Ascot 6.15 Northern Express and Bopedro both ran well to finish third and sixth respectively in this race last year, but preference is for the latter this time around as he is now 5lb lower in the ratings and has a better draw towards the stands’ rail.