Racing Post Trophy winner Kingsbarns (left) is a doubt for the Guineas
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)O'Brien: 8-1 Kingsbarns could miss Guineas
AIDAN O'BRIEN has admitted that Kingsbarns could miss the Qipco 2,000 Guineas after suffering a setback in training.
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The Racing Post Trophy winner, unbeaten in two starts, was generally 8-1 for Newmarket and was due to work at the Curragh on Sunday.
However, he developed an infection after tearing off a shoe during a routine canter and O'Brien implied that time may run out on the horse with a view to the season's first Classic on May 4.
"You'd have to worry about the Guineas. He didn't do anything for about ten days after his setback," he said at the Curragh on Sunday.
"It's nothing major but I wanted him to be here [working today] and I tried to get him here, so the Guineas is a worry. For our horses to go to the Guineas without a run, they need to be here."
William Hill promptly pushed Kingsbarns out to 10-1 (from 7) for the Guineas. Kingsbarns is a general 4-1 favourite for the Investec Derby.
O'Brien also revealed details of his Dubai World Cup-night team. He expects to have five runners at Saturday's meeting at Meydan, with St Nicholas Abbey expected to begin his six-year-old campaign in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
Reply will likely run in the Golden Shaheen, while Imperial Monarch is to try two miles for the first time in the Dubai Gold Cup. Lines Of Battle is a likely UAE Derby runner and Star Spangled Banner goes for the Al Quoz Sprint.
