'He's very sore' - pulled muscle to blame for lacklustre Luxembourg run in Arc

Luxembourg is reported to be very stiff and sore by Aidan O'Brien after pulling a muscle in the early stages of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and will not run again this season.

The Irish Champion Stakes winner spent the weeks leading up to the Arc as favourite but was usurped by Alpinista on the day of the race and never got to into contention at Longchamp. He had more in front than behind turning for home and could only stay on for seventh, beaten seven and a half lengths.

It looked a tame effort from the second highest-rated three-year-old in training after Derby hero Desert Crown but it emerges there was a valid reason for such a lethargic showing.

O'Brien said on Monday: "Luxembourg stepped awkwardly from the stalls and pulled a muscle just off his hip. He was lame and very, very sore after the race but the French vets at Longchamp looked after him brilliantly. They were very good to him.

"It obviously happened very early in the race and Ryan [Moore] just said he stepped awkwardly coming out of the gates. He's a very brave horse, we've always seen that from him, and he put his head down and battled all the way to the line but he was very lame after the race. I'd say there is no chance you will see him again this year."

Luxembourg is set to stay in training as a four-year-old and O'Brien thinks the best could yet be to come. The trainer said: "The plan is for him to stay in training. We obviously didn't get a clear run with him this year so we hope that things will go a bit smoother next year."

Kyprios: annihilated the opposition in the Prix du Cadran on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Kyprios produced one of the great staying performances of the modern era in the Prix du Cadran on Saturday, but he too is unlikely to run again this season.

The four-year-old made it six from six for the season when winning his fourth Group 1 by 20 lengths but a tilt at the Long Distance Cup was all but ruled out by O'Brien.

He said: "We were obviously all delighted with Kyprios. He turned into the false straight and they all just fell away around him. He was out on his own for a long time and he got very lonely. It was an incredible performance really.

"You probably won't see him again this year, that's it for him. He'll come back next year and try to follow a similar sort of path to this year. The aim will be to head back to Ascot to the Gold Cup."

O'Brien is putting his faith in Aesop's Fables to hand him a record-equalling eighth win in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

John Porter won the race eight times in the 1800s as did Frank Butters between 1927 and 1946, and the Ballydoyle maestro can join them on top of the roll of honour with victory on Saturday.

O'Brien has won five of the last nine runnings, most recently with St Mark's Basilica in 2020, and said: "Aesop's will be our number one for the Dewhurst, I'd say."

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