Cape Of Good Hope© Photo Healy Racing
Aidan O’Brien is responsible for eight of the 16 horses confirmed for the Beresford Stakes at Naas on Sunday.
The Ballydoyle maestro has a remarkable record in the prestigious juvenile contest having saddled a total of 17 previous winners, including each of the last seven.
This season’s potential O’Brien squad includes Cape Of Good Hope, who was last seen chasing home Quorto in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket, Listowel maiden winner Japan and Mount Everest, a son of Galileo out of the top-class racemare Six Perfections.
O’Brien said: “For the Beresford we would be thinking that Mount Everest would be our most likely to run.
“We’ve left a few others in and obviously we’ll be looking at something else running there as well.”
Johan Cruyff provided O’Brien with his first Beresford Stakes success in 1996, since when the likes of St Nicholas Abbey (2009), Capri (2016) and last year’s victor Saxon Warrior have all claimed victory for the all-conquering team.
The John Oxx-trained trio of Alamshar, Azamour and the mighty Sea The Stars are also on the roll of honour.
Ger Lyons has confirmed Zander and Pythion, while Zuenoon could step up in class for Dermot Weld following successive wins at Galway and Killarney.
Michael O’Callaghan’s recent course and distance scorer Power Of Now is also in the mix.
