Camelot with Aidan and Joseph© Photo Healy Racing
A pensive Aidan O’Brien spoke candidly this morning about Camelot’s Triple Crown bid in Saturday’s Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.
Speaking during a Media visit to Ballydoyle, organised by the race sponsors, O’Brien left little doubt that Saturday will be a career defining moment for the master trainer.
“This horse is like no other, he looks different. He is obviously made of flesh and blood, but his vibe is different – there is an aura about him” said O’Brien.
“Everything about this horse is not normal. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see it.”
“Camelot is unique and important for the thoroughbred breed.”
Camelot breezed over four furlongs on the woodchip gallop, his last serious piece of work before Saturday’s big race. Aidan pointed out Camelot’s action – “He hardly rises off the ground. That is why we were so worried about the ground at the Curragh for the Irish Derby. This is not a soft ground action. We are really hoping for decent ground at Doncaster.”
“He is built like a miler - round and strong rather than lean and long. He is by Montjeu, but there are big Kingmambo and Danehill traits in him.”
“No son of Montjeu had won a Classic over a mile before he won the English Guineas. We hadn’t won the Epsom Derby for ten years and I can’t tell you how much we wanted to win it.”
“I could never have dreamed of going for the Triple Crown before this horse. Lots of horses have failed the test. Many horses I have trained have not got near the final exam; in fact we didn’t even ask them to sit it.”
“This test is asking a Guineas winner to race way beyond their comfort zone. The St Leger is almost two miles.”
“Top class horses need to have speed, stamina and courage. This race will expose the latter two.”
“The tension is just about bearable here at the moment. We have all gone very paranoid. Everyone is afraid to talk. All our focus for some time has been on Camelot and the Triple Crown.”
Nothing is ever left to chance at Ballydoyle and even the naming of the horse was no accident –“Sue Magnier had the name Camelot picked out for about ten years. She was waiting for the right horse to come along. We didn’t try to influence her, but she was picking up bits of information from everyone that pointed to this horse.”
Aidan’s 19-year-old son Joseph who has ridden Camelot in all of his races spoke in similarly glowing terms about his mount for Saturday: “He is a jockey’s dream. He comes alive in your hands. He is not like any other horse that I’ve ever ridden.”
“Camelot loves his work and loves his races. He knows he is the best.”
“There is obviously pressure building about Saturday, but you just block your nerves out and let your horse do the talking.”
Just like Camelot Joseph has been bred for this job. When asked about his time growing up in Ballydoyle he recounted a piece of advice given to him by Aidan: “Dad said never let school interfere with your education.”
Joseph is “not far off six foot” and has a constant battle with his weight, but his dedication to the sport he loves is very evident.
“My weight is not a major problem at the moment. I can do 8st12lbs if I waste for it. If the day comes when I am too heavy for the flat I would like to ride over jumps but my mum wouldn’t be too keen. It is a dangerous sport. I see the injuries Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy get.”
As you exit Ballydoyle, the last thing you see before the security guards open the gates is a statue of Nijinsky – the last horse to complete the Triple Crown forty two years ago.
