'She had legitimate excuses' - O'Brien looking forward to taking on Guineas hotpot again with Meditate

Aidan O'Brien boasts a formidable hand in Saturday's Qipco 2,000 Guineas with Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear, but he is also relishing the chance to take on Tahiyra again with Meditate in the 1,000 Guineas and believes his filly has "legitimate excuses" for both her defeats last season.

His Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner is a best-priced 9-2 second favourite for Sunday's Classic, which the trainer has won seven times, including in five of the last seven years.

O'Brien is full of hope Meditate can avenge her two-and-a-quarter-length Moyglare Stud Stakes defeat by Tahiyra, who was given the go-ahead for Newmarket by Dermot Weld this week, and her subsequent second to Lezoo in the Cheveley Park Stakes.

The trainer, who also spoke positively of his 2,000 Guineas hopes, said of Meditate: "There are legitimate excuses why she got beaten. In the Cheveley Park we might have rushed her back after the Moyglare and in the Moyglare we might have made too much use of her. Over seven at the Curragh on very soft ground, we rode her very forward and she ran a very good race but Dermot's filly came and got her.

"We're delighted all the good fillies are there, that's what we all want to see. You don't want to see any of the good horses not there, we can put them all together and have a look and see where they're going."

Ryan Moore's mount is expected to be in top shape on Sunday, as O'Brien said: "On her second-last time away she came back a little stiff and we had to be gentle with her for two or three weeks. But she came back and got into good work and when she went to the Curragh for a piece of work she did it and everything has been good with her since that."

Meditate won over the Guineas trip of a mile at Keeneland under Moore last autumn and O'Brien said: "We weren't sure going to America whether she would stay or not. We took our time on her and she won very easily. She relaxed lovely and came home very well.

"But there's a big difference in the track, a flat round track, and the straight track at Newmarket. The real test of a mile is Newmarket, there's no test like the Guineas on the Rowley Mile." 

Stamina is definitely a question for Little Big Bear, a seven-length winner of the 6f Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last August, although he has been working over seven furlongs.

Little Big Bear: impressive winner of the Phoenix StakesCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

O'Brien said: "There's stamina in his dam's side but No Nay Never is definitely a big influence for speed and he is a big, powerful horse. The day he won the Phoenix he looked like he'd get seven staying on his ear but he hasn't run in a long time. His work over that distance has been nice and he's been doing everything right. 

"If we didn't think it was possible we wouldn't let him take his chance. He's a very laid-back horse, he doesn't use any petrol, only what he needs to use – his temperament is a big advantage."

O'Brien sees similarities between Vertem Futurity winner Auguste Rodin and Camelot, who won the 2,000 Guineas and Derby in 2012 then finished second in the St Leger.

Auguste Rodin (Ryan Moore) wins the Vertem Futurity StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The top-priced 7-4 favourite for this year's 2,000 Guineas could make his own Triple Crown bid and his trainer said: "He has a lot of similarities. It's class that those horses have and class usually comes with a combination of speed and stamina. If they have too much stamina they're too slow, if they have too much speed they won't stay. He always exuded class from the very first time he worked."

O'Brien admitted the Guineas may prove the hardest leg if Auguste Rodin attempts to emulate Nijinsky in 1970 but when asked whether the colt could pass the test, he said: "We think there's a good chance that he could with the class he's always shown. He seems to be in very good form. It's definitely possible, that's why we think it would not be right or fair not to give him the chance to do it."

Qipco 2,000 Guineas (Newmarket, Saturday)

William Hill: 11-8 Auguste Rodin, 11-2 Little Big Bear, 13-2 Chaldean, 15-2 Sakheer, 8 Royal Scotsman, 12 Silver Knott, 20 Noble Style, 25 bar 

Now read these:

'He’s in the form of his life' - Coltrane strikes to delight Murphy as Trueshan camp eye hurdles in autumn 

2023 Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket: assessing the top five contenders for Sunday's big race 

Neil Callan appeal on safety grounds against eight-day ban under new whip rules dismissed 

Do you want £200+ of free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.