SATURDAY, 23 MARCH 2019 STABLE TOUR: AIDAN DANON SMASH LOOKS TO EMULATE SIRE IN TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN by Alan Carasso O=BRIEN=S HOPE FOR 2019 One year after finishing a very close third, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) made the 2013 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen the third top-level victory of his standout career. He retired as one of the best sprinters in the history of the Japanese turf and seems to have transferred his considerable ability to his offspring, including Horse of the Year Almond Aye (Jpn), who returns to action in next Saturday=s G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan. Sunday afternoon at Chukyo Racecourse, Danox Ltd.s Danon Smash (Jpn), one of five black-type winners from his sire=s first crop to the races, will try to follow in his hoofprints as the likely favourite in the 1200-metre event. Produced by a Hard Spun half-sister to one-time GI Breeders= Cup Mile hero War Chant (Danzig), Danon Smash has won three from his last four, including the Jan. 27 G3 Silk Road S., a race also won by Lord Kanaloa prior to his defeat here in 2012. Aidan O=Brien | INPHO/Oisin Keniry AHe hasn=t done well racing to the left before, but in the condition he is now, I think the results will be different,@ his By Kevin Blake trainer Takayuki Yasuda said earlier in the week. ATo be honest, I Aidan O'Brien is simply a phenomenon in the world of racing. am a bit worried about the course, but again, I think he can A record-breaking National Hunt trainer in the initial stages of handle it.@ Cont. p9 his career, his abundant talents didn't go unnoticed and he was appointed as the trainer in the historic Ballydoyle complex in 1996 at the age of just 26. He quickly established himself as a dominant force in Irish racing and since then has broken every record worth breaking and won every race worth winning in Europe and beyond. Most recently, he broke the world record for the number of Group/Grade 1 winners trained in a calendar year with 28 such victories in 2017. As always, O'Brien has an array of stars under his care for the new season, headlined by a strong team of older horses as well as an exciting clutch of Classic prospects. Here, the trainer outlines his thoughts for his stable's leading lights for the 2019 season. AMEDEO MODIGLIANI (Ire) >TDN Rising Star= Danon Smash | JRA photo 4 b c Galileo (Ire) - Gooseberry Fool (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) Made it second-time lucky when winning a maiden at the IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Galway Festival in impressive style in 2017, but failed to make it WAR OF WILL GOES FOR ‘BIG EASY’ SWEEP to the track in 2018. Gary Barber’s French-sourced War of Will (War Front) looks to add Saturday’s GII Louisiana Derby to his previous victories in the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S. Click or tap here to go straight to Cont. p2 TDN America. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 9 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 23 MARCH 2019 AOB Stable Tour B Amadeo Modigliani cont. BROOME (Ire) 3 b c Australia(GB) - Sweepstake (Ire) (Accalamtion {GB}) "He's a horse we were really looking forward to last season, Rated 112, he won a maiden at the Galway Festival and ran but a sequence of small setbacks kept him off the track all year. well in defeat in Group company thereafter, most notably We are thinking of running him in the Devoy S. at Naas this finishing a neck second in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Sunday. He's ready to start off and hopefully he'll run a nice race, but I'd expect him to improve a lot on whatever he does. He's a "He's a lovely laidback horse that we have always thought good-moving horse and I we think he'll be better on firmer would get further than a mile. He showed how versatile he can ground than he is likely to get on Sunday. He shows a lot of pace be when making the running when just getting touched off in the in his work and we aren't 100% sure if his best trip will end up Group 1 in France, but I'd say he'll be better getting a lead off being a mile and a quarter or a mile. We've always liked him and something else with good pace in front of him. He's by Australia hopefully he'll show what we've seen from him at home on the and in general, we love everything about them. They have lovely track this season." minds, they are very clear winded and they look like middle-distance horses in the making. Broome fits all of that ANTHONY VAN DYCK (Ire) description and we are looking forward to him. We haven't 3 b c Galileo (Ire) - Believe'N'Succeed (Aus) (Exceed And Excel decided if he'll go for the 2000 Guineas or a Derby trial yet." {Aus}) Rated 118, he won the Tyros S. at Leopardstown and the CAPRI (Ire) Futurity S. at the Curragh prior to finishing in the frame in both 5 gr h Galileo (Ire) - Dialafara (Fr) (Anabaa) the National S. and the Dewhurst S. at Newmarket. Rated 120, he won the Irish Derby and the St Leger in 2017 and failed to win in an injury-interrupted campaign last season. "He is very well and I'm happy with how he did over the winter. We aren't sure if he'll start off in the 2000 Guineas or a Derby "We are going to go down the Ascot Gold Cup route with him trial just yet. Seven furlongs was sharp enough for him last this year and we'll probably start him off in the Vintage Crop season. Other than the maiden he won, he only had one run over Stakes at Navan at the end of April. Things just didn't work out a mile at the Breeders' Cup, but he had a poor draw and it was for him last year, he didn't get a clear run of it at all. Even the end of a long campaign, so I wouldn't judge him on that run. though he won over a mile and a quarter last year and went on We always thought he'd stay much further than a mile and even to run very well in the Champion Stakes, he showed when if he starts off in the Guineas, he is likely to end up over longer winning the St Leger that he stays very well. You'd have to be trips. He has run on soft ground, but I'd imagine good ground or hopeful that he can make up into a very good stayer." better would be ideal for him." Anthony Van Dyck | Coady TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 9 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 23 MARCH 2019 CHABLIS (Ire) >TDN Rising Star= 3 b f Galileo (Ire) - Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain) A full-sister to The Pentagon (Ire), she made a winning debut in a seven-furlong maiden at Gowran Park in October. "We were delighted with what she did at Gowran Park on her debut. We were surprised that she was able to do what she did Vice President, International Operations Gary King considering it was only over seven furlongs. She's a full-sister to Twitter: @garykingTDN The Pentagon, so we always thought she was a middle-distance [email protected] filly in the making. I'm not sure yet whether she will start off in a + 1.732.320.0975 Guineas trial or an Oaks trial, but she will end up over longer trips soon enough I'd imagine." International Editor Kelsey Riley CIRCUS MAXIMUS (Ire) Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN 3 b c Galileo (Ire) - Duntle (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) [email protected] Rated 110, he won a maiden at Gowran Park in September European Editor prior to running well in Group company, most notably when a Emma Berry close fourth in the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] "He's in good form and is doing everything right at the minute. He's another one that could start off in either a Guineas trial or Associate International Editor Derby trial, but we haven't made a decision yet. He seems to be Heather Anderson ground versatile and should certainly stay further than a mile." Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager CONSTANTINOPLE (Ire) Alayna Cullen 3 b c Galileo (Ire) - One Moment In Time (Ire) (Danehill) Twitter: @AlaynaCullen Rated 97, he made it third time lucky when winning a maiden [email protected] at Thurles by 10 lengths in October. Contributing Editor "He's a lovely, big horse that looks like a middle-distance horse Alan Carasso in the making. He's one that you could see training on as a Twitter: @EquinealTDN 4-year-old too. He'll be one to start off in a Derby trial. He's a Cafe Racing good-moving horse and while he's handling softer ground at Sean Cronin home at the minute, I'd say he'll always appreciate better Tom Frary ground." [email protected] FAIRYLAND (Ire) >TDN Rising Star= Irish Correspondent 3 b f Kodiac (GB) - Queenofthefairies (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) Daithi Harvey Rated 112, she won four of her five starts last season including the G1 Cheveley Park S. Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | Andrew Caulfield John Berry | Kevin Blake "Fairyland is in good form.