Letters from Ascot: Donnacha Comes Close to First Royal Win

[Wandering Eyes]

If you don’t think blood is thicker than water, you should have been in the paddock at Royal Ascot on Friday afternoon. Aidan O’Brien trained three of the nine-horse field in the G2 King Edward VII S.

They were Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Gallieo {Ire}), who many thought was the best of the three, along with Giuseppe Garibaldi (Ire) (Gallieo {Ire}) and Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}. Delano Roosevelt was ridden by Ryan Moore. Giuseppe Garibaldi had Seamie Heffernan booked to ride. Rostropovich was to be ridden by Aidan’s son, 20-year-old, Donnacha O’Brien.

But, something was wrong. Donnacha was getting taller and heavier than he has been in the past. He had yet to win a race at the Royal Meeting. Aidan was intent on giving his son the bulk of his attention and instruction and concern as they prepared to leave the walking ring.

Could this be the first and only winner at Royal Ascot for Donnacha before he grew out of those white pants and Tabor, Smith and Magnier colors? That was the buzz in the walking ring, that was the hubbub at the betting widows, that was why Donnacha’s horse, who had finished ninth in the recent G1 French Derby, was only 7-1 now.

To realize Aidan’s affection for his sons, consider the fact that O’Brien and his elder son Joseph took the G1 English Derby with Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2012, becoming the first father and son combination to ever win the race. And it was Joseph who was aboard GI Breeders’ Cup Turf winner St. Nicholas Abbey (Montjeu {Ire}) one year earlier before he tipped the scales to “tilt” and became the another O’Brien trainer.

The so called “smart money” started to show on Rostropovich. Could we get a winner before son Donnacha retired from the saddle?

We were almost right. Donnacha mounted a furious drive in the home straight, but fell a length and three quarters short of Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at the finish.

So, will the father and son combination get a winner at the Royal Meeting before the weight problem catches up with them? Only one day to go!

Melania Trump’s jacket said it all, “I really don’t care. Do you?”

 

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