Aidan O'Brien is confident that River Tiber, the winner of last year's Coventry Stakes, still has untapped potential.
Leading up to his third-place finish behind Vandeek in the Prix Morny at Deauville and his subsequent third-place finish in the Middle Park, River Tiber experienced a worrisome incident.
In both races, O'Brien believed that River Tiber was not performing at his absolute best. Additionally, he was withdrawn from the Breeders' Cup at the last minute, where he was scheduled to compete against his stablemate Unquestionable in the Juvenile Turf event, which Unquestionable ultimately won.
“River Tiber always worked very good. He wasn’t right in Deauville or in the Middle Park, he wasn’t 100 per cent, so there’s a good chance there’s more to come from him. I think he’s a miler, he’s fast, I couldn’t see him getting much further,” said O’Brien.
There is another highly anticipated young racehorse to watch out for in the upcoming season, the undefeated Henry Longfellow. He may also be a contender for the prestigious French Classics.
“Henry Longfellow could stretch out but he looks like a miler the way he’s going, so how much further he’d get, I’m not sure,” mentioned O’Brien.
There is also Henry Adams who is embarking on a journey to Dubai.
According to O’Brien, “Henry Adams is lovely and has done very well and he is down to go to Dubai to run in the UAE Derby on the dirt. He’s a No Nay Never so will be interesting on the dirt”.
In terms of his Derby squad, there are a number of horses who currently seem to possess the necessary qualifications.
Ocean Of Dreams, who emerged victorious at Leopardstown and hails from the esteemed lineage of Urban Sea, is undeniably well-suited for the task.
When it comes to the fillies, O'Brien received disappointing news when it was announced that Opera Singer, undoubtedly the most promising contender in the category, would likely be absent from Newmarket. However, choices are available: “I like Ylang Ylang a lot. She did very well to do what she did because everything went wrong with her on the third day, she was too keen. She had to come back to Newmarket and relax but then to go back and do what she did in the Fillies’ Mile, you’d have to like her a lot.”