O'Brien Seeks First Prix du Cadran Win With Kyprios

It might only be against the Olympian standards that he attains everywhere else that Aidan O'Brien's career record at Longchamp might be measured as merely ordinary.

But the fact remains that the Oct. 1 Qatar Prix du Cadran (G1) is a relatively rare group 1 not to feature on his roll of honor.

O'Brien has only run five horses in France's staying championship and none since 2009, though it should be borne in mind that Yeats  was beaten here on three occasions.

What can be said with some certainty is that other than the two-and-a-half mile trip and the right-handed track, there is more that separates the Cadran from the Gold Cup (G1) than unites the two races, with the ground and the pace often very different to Ascot in June.

Kyprios  is three pounds clear of Quickthorn  on official ratings and has a further four pounds up his sleeve over Tashkhan , who he beat by five lengths in the Gold Cup.

Brian Ellison's talented performer has his ground for the first time since Champions Day last October and it will be a surprise if he can't at least close that gap.

Quickthorn has improved throughout the season and is now a very hard horse to pass, while his tactical versatility could be a big advantage to Tom Marquand.

Princess Zoe  won this race two years ago and has arguably been paying the price through the season for her hard-fought defeat of Quickthorn in the Longines Sagaro Stakes (G3) on good to firm ground.

While the rain will help her cause, she might need it to become properly heavy before things really turn her way.

Skazino  has been gradually returning to form while Goya Senora  has improved beyond all recognition, but arguably the most metronomically reliable of the home team is Joie de Soir , who doesn't win very often but nearly always runs her race.

Kyprios Out to Land First Cadran for O'Brien

Kyprios bids to succeed where the mighty Yeats failed three times, and Moyglare and Coolmore's beautifully bred 4-year-old arrives here on the crest of a wave, having gone unbeaten in five starts this season.

On Friday O'Brien seemed relatively unconcerned about the wear and tear of a campaign that started with the Vintage Crop Stakes in April, though he was open about the fact that very soft ground would demand very different qualities than those on display at Ascot, Goodwood, and the Curragh.

"He seems to have come out of the Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (G1) very well," said O'Brien. "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. He's a lovely, kind, straightforward, honest sort of horse with class."