Horse Racing

O’Brien Claims Sunday Group 1 Double

Pedro the Great won a dramatic Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, at Curragh on Sunday, to give Aiden O’Brien a 12^th winner in the race.

O’Brien looked to have the race won with favorite Cristoforo Colombo travelling beautifully in the run but with about a furlong to go the colt clipped heels with Probably sending jockey Joseph O’Brien crashing to the turf.

Thankfully, O’Brien and Cristoforo Colombo were able to walk away from the track, with the only injury a small cut on the inside of the horse’s leg.

Sheamus Heffernan, riding Pedro the Great, avoided all the drama and sent his mount clear inside the final furlong to win comfortably.

The result was a vast improvement for Pedro the Great who ran a disappointing fifth at his last start in the Group 2 Railway Stakes.

“I blamed myself a bit the last day, I probably made too much use of him,” Heffernan said.

“I pulled him out with a furlong and a half to go and once he was in the clear I was always going to win. He was still going strong at the line, so seven furlongs or even a mile would be no problem to him.”

O’Brien was happy with Pedro the Great’s effort and has big future plans for the two-year-old.

“”He won his maiden very impressively. He was a bit fresh the last day and we decided to take our time with him today and he settled well. He won’t mind stepping up to seven furlongs and it’s quite possible he will come back here for the National Stakes,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien added to his incredible winning record, in the Phoenix Stakes, with the experienced Irish trainer having won seven of the last ten editions of the race.

Pedro the Great is now a 33/1 chance, at Bet365, to win the prestigious 2000 Guineas.

The win capped off a successful weekend for O’Brien who also had a winner in the Jacques le Marois in Deauville with Excelebration.

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