O’Brien urges patience over Rekindling

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Joseph O'Brien says he will take a patient approach with Rekindling as he tries to coax the 2017 winner back to his best.

Rekindling triumphed in 's biggest race three years ago on a memorable day for the O'Brien household as Joseph's father, Aidan, was beaten into second in the showpiece with Johannes Vermeer.

Things haven't gone to plan since his famous success though, and the Lloyd -owned six-year-old has only been raced once since – a disappointing last-place finish at Flemington in March 2019, when under the guidance of Liam Howley.

Rekindling is back in Ireland again now with O'Brien and he will not be rushed back into action, as the trainer plots a steady path hopefully back to the top.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “He was very, very good to us a couple of years ago. I suppose it's fairly obvious things haven't gone smoothly for him since then, but it's great to have him back in the yard.

“We'll aim nice and low and then gradually move our way up into some better targets as the year progresses. We're just excited to get him started first of all and then we can go from there.”

O'Brien added: “I suppose you could say on his three-year-old form there's a big chance he could turn into that type of (Cup) horse, but obviously there has been plenty of water under the bridge between now and when he won the Melbourne Cup.

“We'll get a bit of confidence on the board first of all and take it race by race from there, see what Lloyd would like to have a crack at with him. The most important thing will be to get him back on track and try to get him some confidence.”

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