Trainer Aidan O’Brien is renowned for having success all around the world, and the Irishman has revealed that he is targeting the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2024 with Auguste Rodin, his star three-year-old colt.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the feature race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championship meeting and in 2024 it will take place at Del Mar Racecourse in California. O’Brien has yet to win the dirt contest, but he will believe he has an excellent chance next year with his dual Derby winner.
Colt to Remain in Training
The move to keep Auguste Rodin in training as a four-year-old is one is a huge boost for the sport. O’Brien has said he will be considering all the major middle-distance races next season, including the 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe where he is +2000 in the bet on horses market.
Auguste Rodin is some horse!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 9, 2023
🥇 Futurity Trophy
🥇 The Derby
🥇 Irish Derby
🥇 Irish Champion Stakes#オーギュストロダン I @netkeiba pic.twitter.com/wcwwrftzNz
O’Brien’s leading three-year-old fulfilled his potential at Epsom back in June when he won the Derby, the most prestigious Classic in Europe. He followed that up with a success in the Irish equivalent just a month later at the Curragh. Auguste Rodin proved himself against the older generation when he landed the Group One Irish Champion Stakes in September, beating a strong field that included Luxembourg, Nashwa, Alflaila, and Onesto.
Breeders’ Cup Triumph in Breeders’ Cup Turf
When he appears at Del Mar in 2024 at the Breeders’ Cup, Auguste Rodin will be looking to complete a rare double, as he recorded victory on turf at the meeting in 2023. The son of Deep Impact landed the Breeders’ Cup Turf, giving his trainer a record-extending seventh success in the race.
🏅 Auguste Rodin absolutely flies home Longines Breeders' Cup Turf!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 4, 2023
Pure perfection from Ryan Moore who wins it for a FIFTH time!#ITVRacing | #BC23 | @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/V8aVbCC0E6
Auguste Rodin beat a field that included rivals from Europe, Japan, and the United States at Santa Anita. He was driven to the front by jockey Ryan Moore with two furlongs to go and he was able to hold on by less than a length ahead of the Japanese-trained Up To The Mark.
The surface will be a lot different for the Breeders’ Cup winner in 2024 as he will run on dirt for the first time. All 10 of his career appearances to date have come on turf. O’Brien is likely to give him at least one appearance on either dirt or the all-weather before he travels to California.
Only Two European Horses Have Won the Breeders’ Cup Classic
The stats are going to be against Auguste Rodin in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic, as only two European-trained horses in history have been successful in the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing event. Arcangues was victorious for Frenchman Andre Fabre in 1993, while in 2008, British trainer John Gosden was triumphant with Raven’s Pass.
Over the last 10 years, American Pharoah, Arrogate, Gun Runner, Knicks Go, and Flightline have all been successful in the race, and they look set to enter the US Hall of Fame in the near future. Should Auguste Rodin add his name alongside those horses, he would make a case for being one of the best European horses of his generation.
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup Championship takes place between November 4-5, with the feature race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, coming on the second of those two days.
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