Aidan O'Brien targets the Melbourne Cup again - but after so much grief in Australia you wonder why he'd bother

Is there a more flagrant illustration of Aidan O'Brien's stubborn ambition than a trio of Melbourne Cup entries headed by St Leger ante-post favourite Scandinavia? Possibly not. 

O'Brien's famously deferential manner means his interminable lust for success tends to go unspoken, but it's writ large in his exploits all over the world. With the exception, that is, of Flemington's marquee event on the first Tuesday in November. 

Sure, his quest for a first Breeders' Cup Classic is also ongoing, but there isn't the same grubby asterisk alongside that omission. The Ballydoyle maestro shares the accolade of the star-spangled finale's most successful trainer with D Wayne Lukas and the Classic itself is a very specific test that is pretty alien to European hopefuls. We saw that again last year when City Of Troy floundered in the Del Mar dirt.