O'Brien has Royal Ascot targets for Tenebrism Tenebrism showed her class on her first outing of the season in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cork Stakes over six furlongs. She was a Group 1 winner over this trip as a juvenile and wasn't beaten far into fifth on her return to sprinting in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot, when last seen in October. The Caravaggio filly went off 11/10 favourite as she was rated 6lb superior to main market-rival Moss Tucker and received 3lb from him under the conditions of this race. She was never far off the pace set by Moss Tucker and was switched out for daylight by Ryan Moore passing the two pole. Moore pushed her into the lead racing to the final furlong and she readily kept up her work to sweep in by a length and three parts. Wodao took the runner-up spot at 10/1, half a length in front of Pretty Rebel (33/1). Aidan O'Brien said: "At the back end of last year we put her into the sprint at Ascot and it became apparent that she was an obvious sprinter. We had been trying to stretch her to seven (furlongs) and a mile, but obviously it is all pure natural speed she has. "She has a lovely mind, relaxes and quickens and could be very exciting for the year. "She was at the Curragh a couple of weeks ago when Dean (Gallagher) rode her and she went up with the Guineas horses and he was delighted with her and was happy with her since. "We took her here without training her hard and she was really only ready to come racing. That's the way we wanted and she can go back to Naas in a couple of weeks. "We thought if she got to Royal Ascot that she could run two days, in the King's Stand and the Diamond Jubilee." He added: "On that (testing) ground we usually struggle but the horses are forward and we have to be careful now when they are that forward. A couple of months before the ground got back, it was good and they were all doing half-speeds, so the foundation was in them." Paddy Power made Tenebrism 7/1 from 12/1 for the King's Stand and 12/1 from 20/1 for the Diamond Jubilee. Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
