French Return For Classic Winner Capri

[Wandering Eyes]

Last year’s G1 St Leger winner Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is set to resurface in ParisLongchamp’s G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 16 in preparation for the Oct. 7 G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Capri won last year’s G1 Irish Derby and the St Leger before beating just one home in the Arc, and his lone appearance since has been a win in the G3 Alleged S. at Naas on Apr. 13.

“The plan with him is to go to France for the Prix Foy and then if that goes well, we might go back to the Arc,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien. “He had a racecourse gallop last week and he’s been back in full work for about eight weeks.”

Meanwhile, O’Brien’s son Joseph will look to send this year’s Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the same footsteps as Capri when he lines up for this year’s St Leger on Sept. 15. Latrobe beat just one home in the G1 Juddmonte International over 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 22, and Joseph O’Brien said that race provided a learning opportunity.

“It was a mile and a quarter last time and he had options in Australia later in the year,” O’Brien said. “We were not sure if he’s a horse who wanted 12 furlongs or whether he’d be better going back to 10. It was kind of a fact-finding mission. Obviously he had the easier option of going for the [G2] Voltigeur with a penalty but he didn’t run too badly in the Juddmonte and he probably was a bit positive in a race where you wanted to be settled a bit further back. He was staying on and obviously we’re stepping him back up in trip at Doncaster. He’s not from a stout family by any means but we’re quite hopeful he’ll get the trip.”

O’Brien won last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup with then 3-year-old Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) under the same Lloyd Williams ownership as Latrobe, and the trainer said a Melbourne Cup decision for Latrobe will come at a later date.

“It’s a big ask for a 3-year-old colt to go to Melbourne and it’s not a decision we’ll take lightly,” he said. “Unless we’re very happy with him and he runs well in the Leger he might go but it is far from set in stone,” said O’Brien. “He’s not very similar to Rekindling. Latrobe is a big, powerful horse and he doesn’t have the kind of stamina that Rekindling was assured of as he was from a stout family and had won over a mile-six before going there.”

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