Aidan O’Brien will bid to make Classic history with a clean sweep of the Guineas, casting doubt over Churchill’s Derby involvement.
Churchill was made the bookies favourite for the Epsom Classic, following his win in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but the colt looks set to stay at a mile as his trainer bids to set new records.
O’Brien’s charge is being primed for a tilt at a Guineas double and is hot favourite for the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.
O’Brien said: “It looks like Churchill will go for the Irish Guineas, and Lancaster Bomber (fourth at Newmarket) could go with him. I’d say it’s very unlikely that Churchill will go for the Derby.”
O’Brien also trained the winner of the 1000 Guineas with Winter who heads the market for her the Curragh equivalent on Sunday and is joined in the contest by stablemate Hydrangea.
If Churchill and Winter can recreate the form shown at Newmarket, O’Brien would create history as the first trainer to win all four Guineas in the same season.
O’Brien has won the Irish double on four occasions (1997, 2001, 2008 and 2011) and won the English double three times (2005, 2012 and 2017) but no trainer has won the 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Irish 1000 Guineas and the Irish 2000 Guineas all in the same year.
O’Brien took the Classic scene by storm and is despite the expected absence of Churchill, the 47-year-old trainer will have a a very strong team for the Derby.
He said: “There are seven horses very strongly in the picture at the moment for the Derby.
“The three Leopardstown (Derby Trial) horses (Douglas Macarthur, Yucantan and Capri), the three Chester Vase horses (Venice Beach, Wings Of Eagle and The Anvil) and the Dee Stakes horse (Cliffs Of Moher).”
