Iridessa in rude health and ready for 1,000 Guineas confirms Joseph O'Brien

Joseph O'Brien has trained a Melbourne Cup winner, a Cheltenham Festival winner and an Irish Classic winner and now, at the age of 25, he has his sights set on claiming a first British Classic with Iridessa in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas on Sunday.

Iridessa, a daughter of 2013 Derby winner Ruler Of The World, had a cracking campaign as a two-year-old, starting with an impressive maiden win at Killarney and ending it with a decisive success in the Fillies' Mile over the same course and distance as the 1,000 Guineas, where she had many of this Sunday's rivals behind her.

O'Brien was thrilled with Iridessa's comeback in the 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown this month and reports her to be in rude health ahead of the weekend.

Iridessa: set to tackle the 1,000 GuineasCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

"Iridessa is in good shape and we're very happy with her," he said. "It's nice to go there with what we think is a live chance.

"She's been working well and had a nice run on her first start of the year. Hopefully we get a nice draw and we see what happens. I'm really looking forward to the race."

O'Brien is likely to face four of his father's fillies in the race after Aidan O'Brien revealed that Fairyland, Just Wonderful, Hermosa and Fleeting will see him launch a multi-pronged attack.

His Qipco 2,000 Guineas challenge will be more about quality than quantity with Ten Sovereigns and Magna Grecia likely to be the only two Ballydoyle runners in the Saturday showpiece.

O'Brien snr said: "It looks like we are going to run four in the 1,000 Guineas and two, Ten Sovereigns and Magna Grecia, in the 2,000 Guineas. That's the way we are looking at the moment."

Jim Crowley, meanwhile, has been booked to ride Set Piece for Hugo Palmer. Khalid Abdullah's colt was partnered by Frankie Dettori in the Craven, but he is riding Advertise, while Crowley's intended mount Mohaather was ruled out on Sunday.

David Egan keeps the ride on his Nell Gwyn winner Qabala in the 1,000 Guineas, with Roger Varian's number one jockey Andrea Atzeni suspended, while stablemate and Nell Gwyn runner-up Mot Juste will be ridden by William Buick.

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