The 2025 European Group One campaign begins in Paris with Sunday’s Prix Ganay but before that the world’s best stayer Kyprios returns to action at Navan.
Aidan O’Brien’s popular stalwart has his 20th career start in the Bar One Vintage Crop Stakes, beginning a season that this time might end up with a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
An eight-time Group One winner, Kyprios has nothing left to prove in the staying division. Victory in the Navan race kicked off an unbeaten 2022 for the chestnut son of Galileo and the same occurred last year. In between he got the better of a potentially life-threatening infection.
Kyprios is perhaps European flat racing’s most established champion and O’Brien is already pondering whether to take him out of his comfort zone and tackle top middle-distance horses in the Arc.
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It means Saturday’s Listed race should be a relatively straightforward assignment.
Ryan Moore is in Co Meath for the Kyprios spin and will also team up with last year’s Prix Morny hero Whistlejacket on his own return to action in the Committed Stakes. Official ratings suggest Moore’s decision to pick him rather than Ides of March must have been straightforward.
The Englishman is on board Ecstatic in the Group Three Salsabil Stakes which last year threw up the subsequent Oaks winner Ezeliya.
Both Catalina Delcarpio and Tarima are already in Oaks betting lists after making winning Leoprdstown debuts and they take on more experienced opposition in the 10-furlong heat.
That Dermot Weld is upping Tarima in trip for this looks significant considering he had been pondering an Irish Guineas tilt with her.
The regally bred half-sister to Tahiyra and Tarnawa overcame a poor start on her debut to eventually come through in some style. The form is largely untested although the style was impressive and Tarima has a pedigree to suggest little limit on her potential.
Just six line up for Sunday’s €300,000 Prix Ganay at Longchamp but they include Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa and Henry De Bromhead’s filly Higher Leaves.
The latter progressed last season to secure Group Three honours at Toulouse in November and has a shot at securing some valuable top-flight black type under local rider Alexis Pouchin.
Al Riffa is having a second crack at the Ganay having finished a close fourth last year. He went on to land a second career Group One in Germany before failing to fire in the Arc.
O’Brien sent Al Riffa to Saudi Arabia in February where he ran third to Shin Emperor but missed out on Meydan due to a setback.
“This was the next obvious spot for him, and he ran well in it last year. It’s going to be a small field, but it looks a really good race,” O’Brien said.
Home hopes for a race off at 3.25pm Irish-time are led by Map Of Stars, unbeaten in two starts already this season, and Sosie who finished 2024 with a fourth-place finish in the Arc.
