Aidan O’Brien is a frequent visitor to York for their three-day Dante meeting, which takes place next week. The master of Ballydoyle currently has two entries for the big race of the week, Thursday’s Group 2 Dante Stakes. Probably the most prestigious Derby trial, the winner of this race tends to be popular in the market for the Derby itself. One of which is currently available at 20-1 and that could prove to be a huge price. The horse in question flopped badly last time out which explains the price but this could be a much more suitable test. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Cairo is a typically well-bred Ballydoyle inmate, his dam won at Listed level as a juvenile and he’s by reputable American sire Quality Road. O’Brien’s charge was a useful and consistent two-year-old last season, finishing first or second in each of his four starts. This includes an impressive victory in Group 3 company at Leopardstown in October and the second franked the form by winning impressively next time out.
He began this season with a smooth success in a Dundalk Listed race back in March. The reason this horse is such a big price for here is his very disappointing effort in the UAE Derby when last seen. Not a lot went right that day and his performance was too bad to be true.
There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that he’s a talented individual and the return to turf will suit. It’s always dangerous to write off an Aidan O’Brien horse and he could well bounce back, if lining up here.
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