Which of Aidan O’Brien’s Classic colts will star next year? History warns us not to forget this one…
In a new weekly column, Chris Cook delves under the surface of one of the weekend's biggest talking points

"We'll enjoy today," is one of the most common things you hear in a winner's enclosure, when pesky members of the press are asking what this horse could do in the future, while the trainer would prefer some appreciation for what has just been achieved.
Such concerns tend to slide off Aidan O'Brien after so much experience but he must have wanted to use those words after winning three top-class juvenile races this weekend, an astonishing achievement that got somewhat subsumed in all the chatter about how each should be campaigned next year.
Puerto Rico, a runaway winner of Saint-Cloud's Criterium International, is now favourite with several firms for the 2,000 Guineas, while Pierre Bonnard, successful in the similarly titled Criterium de Saint-Cloud, is Derby favourite. Hawk Mountain, who ground his way to victory over a couple of stablemates in Doncaster's Futurity on Saturday, is prominent in the betting on both Classics.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inUnder The Saddle
Last updated
- Think you saw a festival winner at Cheltenham over the weekend? Recent years suggest you're probably wrong about that
- Front-runners dominated the big jumps races this weekend - so why do we keep disrespecting them?
- The Aidan and Charlie Show - how two rival trainers have made European success at the Breeders' Cup a sure thing
- The 200-1 and 100-1 winners that had been coming! So just why is Champions Day becoming so unpredictable?
- Think you saw a festival winner at Cheltenham over the weekend? Recent years suggest you're probably wrong about that
- Front-runners dominated the big jumps races this weekend - so why do we keep disrespecting them?
- The Aidan and Charlie Show - how two rival trainers have made European success at the Breeders' Cup a sure thing
- The 200-1 and 100-1 winners that had been coming! So just why is Champions Day becoming so unpredictable?
