Forget the numbers - Aidan O'Brien can clean up in the Classics again in 2021
In a time plagued by fear and uncertainty, it was reassuring to hear Aidan O'Brien speak so calmly about a potential logistical nightmare of travelling stable staff and horses to Britain for what promises to be an intriguing 2021 for the master Flat trainer.
You might have read this week that O'Brien is already under pressure of a different kind this year. Officially, at least, his strength in depth among the Classic generation is some way off what it has been in recent times.
O'Brien was taking part in the Zoom call I joined this week ostensibly to discuss the European two-year-old classifications, which awarded just six of his 2020 juvenile crop a figure of 110 or higher. That number is notably lower than in previous years as he has been in double figures for at least the last decade, with 16 in 2018 achieving that mark.
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