Camelot pleases in Curragh work

Camelot, ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, pleased Aidan O’Brien as he featured among a huge team of Ballydoyle horses who worked after racing at the Curragh.

The unbeaten Racing Post Trophy winner was partnered by Joseph O’Brien in an 11-horse group that also featured stablemates Fame And Glory (Seamus Heffernan) and David Livingston (Ryan Moore).

Racing towards the back in the early stages over seven and a half furlongs, Camelot looked to stay on very nicely to finish second, firmly on the bridle, and the twice-raced son of Montjeu remains in the mix for the Qipco-sponsored Guineas at Newmarket on May 5.

O’Brien said: “He just cantered up in behind and Joseph seemed to be very happy with him. It’s lovely ground, he did seven and a half, they swung back nicely and did it all on the bridle. It was just a nice day away really, it makes the training a little bit easier.

“We can’t say that anything is definite for now. We’ll go home and talk about plans. Obviously he is a possible (for the Guineas), but it would be wrong to say any horse is a definite. They are possibles.

“Today was the most testing work he had done since the Racing Post Trophy and he seemed to come through it fine. He came from the back, finished nicely and was not asked a serious question. He is a possible without saying he is a definite.”

Maybe, favourite for the 1000 Guineas and Oaks, looked to go well as she worked under O’Brien junior in an 11-horse group that included Moore on the well-touted Rockfel Stakes winner Wading and Pat Smullen on Kissed.

O’Brien said: “She has done very well physically and we are very happy with where she is. Newmarket is the first possibility for all these horses and over the next 10 days we will sit down and pick a target for all of them. Joseph was very happy with Maybe and so was Ryan with Wading, they all seemed to go fine.”

Leading 2000 Guineas fancy Nephrite worked in the third group of horses, while newcomer to the yard Excelebration was in action in the fourth group and could renew rivalry with Frankel in the JLT Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 19. Power was another in that group.

O’Brien went on: “The obvious first target (for Excelebration) would be the Lockinge. We’ve never done anything with him and that was the first little bit he was asked to do. He seemed to track up there on the bridle. Power missed a little time after Christmas but nothing major and he just followed them up there today.”