Aidan O’Brien
Ol’ Man River, whose sire and dam were both Classic winners, was an effortless winner on his racecourse debut at The Curragh on Sunday, earning an immediate entry into the ante-post betting for next year’s Investec Derby at a top-price of 20-1.
Ol’ Man River is from the last full crop of foals sired by Montjeu, who won the French and Irish derbys as well as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1999, while Finsceal Beo, his dam, took both the English and Irish 1,000 guineas events in 2007.
He will need to forge a significant career both on the track and at stud to repay his €2.85m price tag as a yearling but he could not have made a more polished start, scarcely coming off the bridle to win the card’s eight-furlong maiden by three-quarters of a length.
“It looks a good solid race and he travelled very strongly,” Aidan O’Brien, the trainer of Ol’ Man River, said. “He had to get tired going that gallop first time but he cruised into the lead.
“We’ll take our time with him and won’t be in any panic. The good thing about him is he’s a strong traveller and seems to have plenty of pace. Looking at today, he wouldn’t mind going back to seven furlongs.”
Andrea Atzeni, who will replace Jamie Spencer as first jockey to Qatar Racing next season, rode his first significant winner for the operation in the Group Three Round Tower Stakes at The Curragh. Atzeni steered Cappella Sansevero, the 6-4 favourite, through a narrow gap in the closing stages on the way to a three-quarter-length success.
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