Ease in ground forces Aidan O'Brien rethink as Emily Dickinson bids for Curragh Cup success

The Comer Group International Curragh Cup (4.20) has been a happy hunting ground for Aidan and Joseph O'Brien with eight wins between them in the last ten years.

Aidan O'Brien has been responsible for six of them and appears to have the upper hand again with last month's Gold Cup fourth Emily Dickinson.

She was an emphatic winner of the Vintage Crop Stakes, but disappointed in the Saval Beg before embarking on a retrieval mission at Royal Ascot.

"We gave Emily Dickinson a semi-break after Ascot," said O'Brien. "We weren't going to come here until the ground changed. She handles ease in the ground very well and she'll get that here. She seems to have come out of her last run in good form."

A three-year-old landed this every year between 2015 to 2018 and Gooloogong, who holds entries in big staying races like the Goodwood Cup and St Leger, steps up in trip for O'Brien after comfortably winning a 1m2f maiden at Navan in March.

The trainer said: "It's a big step up for him but he seemed to handle soft ground very well at Navan."

The race has been used as a stepping stone to the Melbourne Cup in recent times, with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020) going on to win in Australia for Joseph O'Brien.

Okita Soushi won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot last month for the trainer, while Point King, who runs in the same colours as Twilight Payment, is a Listed winner at the distance and was just a short-head behind Yashin in the Saval Beg before finishing eighth at Royal Ascot.

Joseph O'Brien said: "Okita Soushi won nicely at Ascot, but I just hope they don't get too much rain. His participation will be ground dependent but, if he runs, we hope he has a live each-way chance. Point King has come out of Ascot well. Hopefully, this course and distance will suit him."

Earlier on the card, Aidan O'Brien will bid to become the joint-winningmost trainer of the Jebel Ali Racecourse and Stables Anglesey Stakes (2.00), which he won last year with subsequent Group 1 winner Little Big Bear.

The trainer, who is behind only Vincent O'Brien with 12 wins in the Group 3, saddles Chesham runner-up Pearls And Rubies and The Caribbean.

Buyin Buyin has won both his starts either side of a good fourth in the Marble Hill, form that was reinforced at Royal Ascot with Valiant Force (fifth) landing the Norfolk with His Majesty (third) in a close fourth, while Givemethebeatboys (first) also finished fourth in the Coventry. He is the likely danger.

Read these next:

'There should be improvement to come' - key quotes and analysis for wide-open Newbury handicap

'She has a perfect draw and is in serious order' - who likes their Scurry hope?

Can Lezoo confound the doubters and prove she has trained on at three?

'She has grown and thrived since the Queen Mary' - analysis and key quotes for Weatherbys Super Sprint

'She's done very well physically' - Savethelastdance out to restore her reputation after Epsom reversal