Donnacha O'Brien has big targets for stable stars: 'We're hoping to see him at a Breeders' Cup' Donnacha O'Brien spoke to Niall Tierney of irishracing,com fresh off the back of his Group 1 victory in the July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday with Comanche Brave. He also speaks about a few more of his stable stars and why he trains more fillies than colts. Comanche Brave It was a good performance. He travelled well, Billy gave him a very good ride, he was in a nice position and he came through it really nicely. Thankfully, he put it to bed. I don't think he kills himself when he gets to the front, but yeah, it was a nice performance. We always wanted to try going back in trip with him. You can never be sure if they'll be Group 1-winning sprinters, but he can go pretty fast very well. He was very impressive in the Curragh. He went to Ascot and he was okay. He ran well, we were a bit underwhelmed he didn't get the cleanest of runs. We went to Newmarket thinking he'd be competitive. He seemed to take a good step forward and learned plenty, so it was nice to see him go and do it. He has a lot of options. There's the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock, the Flying Five at the Curragh, you can go to the likes of the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. I think quick ground is very important to him. We're hoping to see him maybe at a Breeders' Cup before going on his travels again. The stable is running well. They've been consistent throughout the year. We're having a good year and hopefully it can keep going. Kensington Lane She's staying in America at Del Mar. She's a nice filly, a proper Group filly. We thought that, tactically, her run style would really suit America, so when she brought her form there, she brought her form to another level and it really worked out the way we hoped. She's a valuable filly now for the owners going forward. A Boy Named Susie He's not sold. I don't know where that report came from. We still have him. We're looking forward to the rest of the year with him. He's a lovely horse, we have plenty of big targets with him. I think he'd get away with an easy mile and a half and a stiff mile. He's a high-class horse. He has a high cruising speed and he seems to come out of his races well. He travels well as well, so there are plenty of options. He could do anything from a Breeders' Cup Turf to a Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot and everything in between. He's going to be a better horse again next year. He's an exciting one and we're glad to hold onto him. Balantina We thought she ran well. She was a length closer to Precise than she was at Ascot. Bar her Breeders' Cup win, it was probably her best run. She seems to be stepping forward the whole time and we have some nice targets with her for the rest of the year. Havana Anna Havana Anna has been supplemented for the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday and all being well she will go there. We think she's a high-class filly. She could end up at the Flying Five or the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp later. On Training Lots of High Class Fillies We get a lot more fillies than we do colts and it's probably a symptom of that more than anything. I'm very lucky that Coolmore sends me some well-bred fillies every year and I have a bunch of American owners that are fantastic and they concentrate on fillies for resale value. I'm happy to train whatever people are happy to give me. I like training fillies as much as colts and I've managed to get some good ones and hopefully we get more. Watch our new show The Jockey Angle in full Race replays are FREE to watch from all Irish tracks and a selection of premier British tracks sponsored by William Hill.
