There’s plenty of life left in the 2022 flat racing season. September sees some key group races and it won’t be long before Irish trainers begin to make their final plans for the 2022 Breeders’ Cup meeting at Keeneland in the USA.
The Breeders’ Cup meeting is the final destination after a busy season in Europe. If a person bets on horses with various of offers, huge amounts of money can be won, and this attracts horses from all over the world, not only from Europe and America.
One trainer with his eyes on success at the Breeders’ Cup success is of course Aidan O’Brien. Barely a week goes by without him attempting to win a high-class race. This year has already seen him win one of the English classics with Tuesday winning the Epsom Oaks.
The three-year-old lost her maiden tag at the Curragh in March of this year. Her only run as a two-year-old had been a short head loss to Discoveries but that was only over seven furlongs.
Tuesday only finished third in the 1000 Guineas and then second in the Irish equivalent. However, success was only just around the corner and the longer distance of the Epsom Oaks provided Tuesday with a Group 1 success and yet another classic win for Aidan O’Brien.
There’s only been one run since that victory in the Oaks. Tuesday finished fourth in the Irish Derby, though being bumped three furlongs out didn’t help a great deal.
Now comes a busy end to the season with plenty of options for this talented three-year-old. The racing year is likely to see her heading stateside for the Breeders’ Cup. The Filly and Mares Turf is the expected target for the Aidan O’Brien trained runner.
That’s a race that has been won twice in the past four years by Irish horses. However, Aidan O’Brien has never trained the winner, perhaps Tuesday might see that all changed.
Another Irish contender for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mares Turf is likely to be La Petite Coco. Trained by Paddy Twomey, this four-year-old won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes in June. That follows four wins and a second last year, including two group races being won.
Only one four-year-old has won this Breeders’ Cup race in the past six years. One problem is of course that weight will have to be given to three-year-olds. The past three runnings of this race have seen three-year-old horses successful.
That wasn’t the case last year though when the five-year-old Loves Only You from Japan was the winner carrying 4lbs more than the three-year-old contenders.
The 2022 running of this race is going to be a highly competitive affair. You wouldn’t really expect anything else at the Breeders’ Cup. Leading contenders that are likely to make life difficult for Tuesday and La Petite Coco include Nashwa, Inspiral and Emily Upjohn.
Nashwa is currently top of the betting market. The three-year-old is trained by John and Thady Gosden and has come a long way since a Class 5 win at Haydock in April. Nashwa finished behind Tuesday and Emily Upjohn in the Oaks but did struggle for room and looks to have improved since with two Group 1 wins in June and July.
Get ready for an exciting end to the 2022 flat season with great races on both sides of the Atlantic. Save some breath though because it won’t be long before the jumps season returns.
Image courtesy: Keeneland Facebook
