Three of these four are from Ballydoyle and the other is the promising Imaging, who has a race-fitness edge on his three rivals having won from an unpromising position in a conditions race at Cork Mar. 31. He signed off with a 9 1/2-length win over another Aidan O'Brien trainee in Spanish Point (GB) (Frankel {GB}) over this trip at Limerick in October also on heavy ground and is a worthy opponent of one already top-class and two potentially top-class colts. “He is very versatile ground-wise and I have been happy with the horse since Cork,” trainer Dermot Weld said.
Very few horses are capable of a G1 Middle Park S.-G1 Dewhurst S. double and the fact that U S Navy Flag made light of it places him in the top drawer. He has a look of Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) about him, but like the G2 Superlative S.-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Gustav Klimt he does not need these conditions.
“Gustav Klimt is in good form and is just ready to start. Hopefully he'll come on plenty for the run,” O'Brien said. “He missed the second half of last year and hasn't been out in a long time. US Navy Flag is in good form, too, and is just ready to start as well. Obviously we'd prefer better ground, but we just want to get him out. He seems to be in good form.”
Kenya won the course-and-distance G3 Killavullan S. from the front and would be dangerous left alone there.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
