O'Brien ditches Winx plan and targets St Leger with Irish Derby hero Latrobe

Joseph O'Brien is likely to shelve an audacious plan for Latrobe to thwart Winx's Cox Plate four-timer, after indicating his Irish Derby hero is set to step up in trip in the St Leger at Doncaster next month.

O'Brien was using the Juddmonte International as a fact-finding mission for Latrobe, but the Camelot colt was unable to live with Roaring Lion's turn of foot and trailed in seventh of the eight runners under Wayne Lordan at York on Wednesday.

Joseph O'Brien with parents Aidan and Annemarie after their Irish Derby triumphCredit: Patrick McCann

O'Brien said: "We went to York to see how Latrobe would get on over ten furlongs against older horses. We knew it would tell us where we stand with him and help us figure what route to take with him for the rest of the season.

"We are thinking of stepping him back up in trip now and aiming him at the St Leger at Doncaster. The Irish St Leger is a lesser possibililty.

"He saw out the mile and a half in the Irish Derby really well so you would be hopeful that a mile and three-quarters at Doncaster would be right up his street. He is certainly not short of pace and that is why we had a crack at the Juddmonte but he stays very well too."

O'Brien sent out Rekindling to finish fourth in last year's St Leger on the way to winning the Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November. Latrobe is priced between 12-1 and 20-1 for the final Classic of the campaign a fortnight on Saturday.

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