Aidan O’Brien has made a fantastic start to the 2012 season and it got even better on Saturday when Power made it a clean sweep of the British and Irish Classics run so far with victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Aidan O’Brien and son Joseph
As with Camelot’s success in the British version, Power was ridden to glory by O’Brien’s 19-year-old son Joseph, who had recorded his first Classic success in the same race last year aboard Roderic O’Connor. Ryan Moore won the 1,000 Guineas on Homecoming Queen, who was the less-fancied of the two Ballydoyle runners in the Newmarket Classic.
Owner Andrew Tinkler had to settle for second place last year with Dubawi Gold, and his challenger Foxtrot Romeo filled the same slot this time around, with another O’Brien runner, Reply, taking third.
Next Saturday Jospeh O’Brien will renew his partnership with Camelot when he lines up as favourite for the Derby at Epsom. Second in the betting to him at present is his former yearling paddock-mate at Highclere Stud, Bonfire, who is one of two Classic runners next weekend for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing syndicate, which will also field Vow in the Oaks.
Power provided a further feather in the Highclere cap, as he was another member of the high-flying yearling draft of 2010, though the son of Oasis Dream, who was bred in partnership by Norelands Stud and Hugo Lascelles, was unsold at 50,000gns.
