O'Brien outlines Royal Ascot plans Aidan O’Brien has formed the backbone of his Royal Ascot squad as the Ballydoyle handler attempts to claim the top trainer award for a fourth year on the bounce. O’Brien has received the accolade eight times and will once again send over a formidable team to the five-day fiesta of Flat racing. And speaking from the Curragh on Friday, the master trainer outlined plans for some of his big-hitters. He said: “Rhododendron will go for the mile race (Queen Anne) along with Deauville. “Gustav Klimt will go for the St James’s Palace, and US Navy Flag may go for that race as well. “Washington DC and Battle Of Jericho will probably go for the King’s Stand, and Different League may go back to five (furlongs) for that race as well. Merchant Navy will go for the Diamond Jubilee. “Lancaster Bomber will probably go for the mile-and-a-quarter (Prince of Wales’s), and Murillo has the choice of the Jersey or the Commonwealth. Clear Skies may go for a mile-and-a-quarter handicap. “Giuseppe Garibaldi won well at Leopardstown and he might go for the Queen’s Vase. Sometimes they take two or three runs and then they start coming. Southern France is in that race as well. “Yucatan may drop back for the International (10 furlongs) here on Derby weekend, and Idaho will go for the Hardwicke.”
