Aidan O'Brien: won Criterium de Saint-Cloud with Fame And Glory last year
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/ racingpostpix.comTrio declared to maintain O'Brien domination
AIDAN O'BRIEN will rely on Mikhail Glinka, a Listed winner at Leopoardstown this month, as well as maiden winners Don Carlos and Banyan Tree as he attempts to maintain his recent domination of Group 1 races for two-year-olds in Saturday’s Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
The Ballydoyle trainer, who withdrew Joshua Tree on Thursday, has won the Jumeirah Dewhurst Stakes (Beethoven), Racing Post Trophy (St Nicholas Abbey) and Criterium International (Jan Vermeer) in recent weeks and also landed this race with Fame And Glory a year ago.
Johnny Murtagh will ride Don Carlos, while Banyan Tree is the mount of Colm O’Donoghue with Seamie Heffernan on Mikhail Glinka.
There is also a strong British challenge as Joe Fanning partners Layali Al Andalus for Mark Johnston and William Buick rides Gardening Leave for Andrew Balding. The in-form Godolphin stable relies on Passion For Gold, to be ridden by Frankie Dettori.
There are only two French horses among the nine declared. Andre Fabre has put Mickael Barzalona on Sheikh Mohammed’s Simon De Montfort and Olivier Peslier will be back in the Wertheimer Brothers’ silks to ride Kaage for Freddy Head.
German raider Zazou completes the line up.
