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

Aidan O’Brien has spent plenty of time kicking already this season, most notably in his build-up to City Of Troy for the 2000 Guineas, and he did so again here on Wednesday following Auguste Rodin’s three-quarter length success in the Prince of Stakes of Wales. “Honestly, I feel like the mistakes were my fault,” O’Brien said. “The instructions were wrong and it was time to start doing them right.”

The omissions in question were a complete no-show in last year’s King George here and another at the Sheema Classic in Dubai three months ago, and as this was the sixth Group One win of Auguste Rodin’s career – and a stunning 400th at the highest level for O’ Brian – Arguably, at least for the most part, he’s already got it right.

But last year’s Derby winner had begun to develop a reputation as an all-or-nothing, first-or-nowhere player, and if O’Brien and Ryan Moore have indeed found the key to keeping Auguste Rodin interested, there are sure to be more Group One wins on the record si when the season comes to an end.

Wednesday’s race went like clockwork for the 13-8 favorite as he settled into the middle of the division, trailing easily with a strong pace and the long-awaited challenge of Inspiral, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner at Santa Anita, fully failed to materialize. Inspiral was drawn the widest of all in heat 10, but gave up even more ground with a slow start and never really threatened to break into the leaders.

Blue Rose Cen, a double Classic winner in France last year, set a frantic pace to three out under Christophe Soumillon, but she was spent as they headed for home, with Auguste Rodin clearly the best of those waiting to are thrown.

Moore sent him home just inside the last quarter of a mile and while two other French-trained runners, Zarakem and Horizon Dore, did their best to chase him down, Auguste Rodin kept finding more to fend off 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 probably gave it to him [Moore] wrong instructions all the time. We drove him too far back and when he didn’t have speed he was too far out of the race.

“We’ve changed everything, Ryan said he’s going to drive him positively from now on and commit him straight away. We say that today, when it reaches the front, it waits and then goes again.

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

“The boys [in the Coolmore syndicate] i will decide but i hope i never need to [for the two horses to take each other on]O’Brien said. “When those horses come along, you want to pick places for them, place them, evaluate them and enjoy them.”

O’Brien, meanwhile, will no doubt go from his 400th top-level winner to his 401st, perhaps as early as Thursday, when Kyprios will attempt to repeat his success in the 2022 Gold Cup, the Royals’ special event . He is also likely to send Illinois, his last winner of the Queen’s Vase earlier in the day’s card, to 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 contender for a preliminary post for the St Leger at Doncaster in September at around 6-1.

“He’s a middle-distance, mile-six-type horse and will improve from three to four,” O’Brien said. “He’s a big, strong, honest horse and a bit of a baby mentally still. Now he can rest a little and go to York [in August] on the road to the St Leger, something like that.

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

Kyprios will strike gold again

While 22 horses have won Ascot Gold Cup more than once in the competition’s 217-year history, Kyprios (4.25) will be only the third to do so in back-to-back years if he can add to his win as a four-year-old in 2022 in Thursday’s showcase event at the Royal Meeting.

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

Aidan O’Brien’s runner missed last year’s race through injury and ended up with a two-start gap in 2023, but he looked back on the best of his two outings this year and has a significant advantage in the ratings field on Thursday .

Royal Ascot 2.30 The last two winners of this race were backed at 150-1 and 50-1 and any one of at least a dozen could find enough improvement to win. That said, however, whistle, the favourite, has a very strong claim after clocking an outstanding time in the conditions when off the mark at the second attempt at the Curragh in early May.

Royal Ascot 3.05 There will be high hopes for a second successive winner for the royal colors in this race and Gilded Water, an easy winner last time, has an obvious claim. However, this is a deep and strong progressive field and O’Brien Chantilly, third in a hot race at Newbury last time, is just one of many who look certain 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 leg of the trip. The hot favourite, Diamond Rain, has been narrowly beaten in his two wins to date and Andrew Balding’s filly can be considerably overpriced at around 6-1.

Royal Ascot 5.05 Stepping up to a mile will probably suit a few of the principals, but no more than that Mikli, a ready winner for useful time on debut over seven furlongs handicap last time.

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

Royal Ascot 6.15 Northern Express and Bopedro both performed well to finish third and sixth respectively in this race last year, but this time the preference goes to the latter as he is now 5lb lower in the ratings and has a better tie to the rail of the stands.