Aidan O'Brien Lines Up Contenders for Prix de Royallieu

Aidan O'Brien will send two challengers into the Oct. 1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu (G1) with Emily Dickinson  and Perotan  confirmed to take on Verry Elleegant .

The one-mile, six-furlong contest for fillies and mares became the chosen destination for Verry Elleegant after uncertainty emerged around whether the Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1) winner would make the final field for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) due to her rating. As a result, connections opted not to supplement her for €120,000 Sept. 28.

Horses trained outside France have won the last four editions of the Prix de Royallieu, including Wonderful Tonight  in 2020 and Loving Dream  last year for trainers John and Thady Gosden, who also landed the 2019 edition with Anapurna.

Emily Dickinson is yet to add to her maiden success in the spring but O'Brien was encouraged by the filly's performance when fifth to Eldar Eldarov  in the Cazoo St Leger (G1) at Doncaster last time out.

"She's come out of her race well and we thought she ran really well especially for a filly in the St Leger. I do think she's still progressing," he said. "We ran Perotan in that race too. She also came out of her last race well and we're happy with her."

Alongside Luxembourg  in the Arc, the biggest name running for O'Brien over Arc weekend is Kyprios , who seeks a fourth group 1 of the season in the Qatar Prix du Cadran (G1) Saturday.

The 4-year-old is unbeaten in five starts this season, including top-level successes in the Gold Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot, the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes British Champions Series (G1)—beating recently retired staying star Stradivarius  on each occasion—and in the Irish St Leger (G1) at the Curragh on his most recent start.

O'Brien, who has yet to win the Cadran, believes there is more to come from the lightly raced Kyprios, and is hopeful the ground at Longchamp will not be too testing at the weekend with the stayer having not encountered heavy going since his debut over two years ago.

"Kyprios is well and he seems to have come out of (the Irish St Leger) well too," the trainer said at an event organized by France Galop. "It's the first time he's run over the Cup distances this year, so we think he is (still improving).

"It might be the softest ground he's run on for a while, although he did run on heavy as a 2-year-old. He's a good-moving horse though, so hopefully it's not too soft."