Joseph O’Brien said on Sunday that he expects to take his first ride on the Flat since late February in a Listed event at Dundalk on Wednesday evening, but his father, Aidan O’Brien, who employs him as stable jockey to his powerful Ballydoyle stable, also confirmed on Sunday that Ryan Moore is likely to ride more regularly for the yard this season as his own son continues to struggle with his weight.
“We’ve a good relationship with Ryan [who rode the stable’s Ruler Of The World to win the Derby in 2013] and we always have,” O’Brien said. “We used Ryan more last year than we did the year before and hopefully it will be that way again this year, we’ll use him more this year than we did last year. We’re delighted Ryan is there and he is riding for us.
“Obviously [riding at] nine stone has been a problem [for Joseph] for the last two seasons and last year it was a big problem. This year he’s heavier than he was this time last year. He’ll go gently and we’ll see what will happen. There’s no doubt he’ll come back down to the Flat gently and how far down he’ll go, we’ll wait and see.”
Speculation that Moore would play a bigger role for O’Brien this season increased when he was booked to ride at The Curragh on Sunday, with Joseph heading to Limerick for a ride over hurdles.
Joseph O’Brien steered Egyptian Warrior into fifth place in a novice hurdle before travelling to The Curragh to ride several of Ballydoyle’s leading contenders for the new Flat season at exercise after racing, including Gleneagles, favourite for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on 2 May.
O’Brien needs to ride at 9st to partner Gleneagles in the Classic, and seemed confident on Sunday that he will be able to ride at 9st 3lb at Dundalk on Wednesday. Ballydoyle has three entries in the Patton Stakes, a seven-furlong Listed race for three-year-olds, including War Envoy, the runner-up to Estidhkaar in the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last September.
“It [riding over jumps] is different but I enjoyed it,” O’Brien said “He popped away although the ground was a bit slow for him. I’ll be in Dundalk again on Wednesday and after that I might ride over jumps whenever we have a few runners. I will be back riding again on the Flat.”
Moore took three rides for O’Brien’s stable at The Curragh on Sunday, and steered The Warrior, the 11-4 favourite, to victory in a six-furlong maiden. He then finished unplaced on Easter, the 100-30 joint-favourite for the Group Three Park Express Stakes, and Jacobean, the 6-5 favourite for a maiden event.
Tony McCoy, who will retire from the saddle within the next few weeks, was in typically indefatigable form on his final visit to Ascot on Sunday, getting up in the final strides to win a novice handicap chase on Un Ace after looking beaten with half a mile to run.
“That was as good as I’ve seen [and] to do it on his last ride here was fantastic,” Kim Bailey, Un Ace’s trainer, said. “The horse hated the ground but I couldn’t take him out on his last ride. He looked well beaten going down the back and to be fair only AP could probably have got him home.”
