'He's a very high-class colt' - smart Curragh winner primed for Group 1 tilt with Breeders' Cup bid on the horizon

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Impressive Railway Stakes winner Celeron is set for three big assignments in the coming months as Michael O'Callaghan gears him up for the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday with further top-level targets potentially on the horizon, including the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in October.

O'Callaghan has trained some smart two-year-olds, such as Group 2 winners Black Forza and Crypto Force, but Celeron could be the best yet judging by his three-length success in last month's Railway Stakes.

While his trainer was keen to step him up to seven furlongs in the immediate aftermath of that win, he has decided to give the son of Mohaather another crack at six furlongs before he goes up in distance later in the season.

“The plan with Celeron is to run in the Phoenix," he said. "I know immediately after the race I was thinking about not running over six furlongs again, but I probably had my mind made up before the race."

The Celeron team after his Railway Stakes winCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

His dominant performance in the Curragh Group 2 has encouraged O'Callaghan to give him a shot at a Group 1 over the same course and distance on Sunday in a race that could also feature Royal Ascot winner Great Barrier Reef and his Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemate Sun Goddess.

Having landed a Curragh maiden in June, Celeron finished down the field in the Windsor Castle, but he bounced back with a classy performance in the Railway under Oisin Murphy. With a tilt at the National Stakes and Breeders' Cup on the agenda, O'Callaghan is hoping it will set the talented colt up for a productive end to the season.

“He’s rated 111 over six furlongs so he’s a very high-class colt," said the trainer. "He can step up to seven furlongs for the National Stakes and then maybe go to the Breeders’ Cup, which is the big target. I thought it was maybe a bit silly to bypass the Phoenix.

“The timing is perfect and then it’s a month to the National Stakes and then the bones of six weeks to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He’s a big horse – he probably wants a mile next year – and he has a lot of talent."

Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (4.00 Curragh, Sunday)
Paddy Power: 13-8 Great Barrier Reef, Sun Goddess, 7-2 Celeron, 6 Folsom Blues, 7 Man's Best Friend, Victorious, 10 King Of Cloughan, 14 bar.

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