Paddy Flood - 'Albert Einstein is probably a glorified handicapper with a good name!' Ballydoyle’s Albert Einstein has been the big talking horse of the season since trainer Aidan O’Brien told the racing media: ‘I don’t think we’ve ever had a horse as quick’. The three-year-old Wootton Bassett colt has since been beaten in the Listed Gladness Stakes at the Curragh, the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury and was second when dropping back to six furlongs in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes back at Newbury on Saturday. On this week’s Irish Angle, jockey coach Paddy Flood, journalist Johnny Ward and pundit Emma Nagle were divided in their opinions on his prospects as a top sprinter. A horse with a good name Paddy Flood said of the performance in Newbury: “You're taking away his natural ability by trying to train him for a mile, if you can't win that listed race there, he's no better than a handicapper really. “He got everything his own way. He broke smart. He got the fractions right and he just wasn't good enough late on. “If he's the fastest in Ballydoyle, they probably won't be heading to Australia with any sprinters anytime soon, or America, because he might be quick for a bit but he's not quick to the line where it matters really. “The mile hasn't worked, going back to six hasn't worked. What now? Where does he go? “Aidan is very good at getting horses back and getting them right, but this looked like a penalty kick for him. “But look, he's probably a glorified handicapper with a good name!” Divided opinion Johnny Ward was in disagreement with Paddy and is willing to give Albert Einstein another chance: “For me, he's out of a War Front mare and it's not necessarily that the War Front horses were ungenuine, but they became really unreliable as a general rule. A lot of War Front horses didn't train on. “He had slight question marks in terms of was he putting it in, but I wasn't really expecting him to race as forward as he did. I actually thought he battled. “When he was headed, he rallied and he was only beaten a neck. And as much as Paddy is knocking the race, he should be winning races like this. “He was running against horses rated 111 and 115, those were good horses in behind him, and they did pull well clear of the third. “Paddy’s on about the name - if you name a horse Albert Einstein there's a bit of pressure from the start. “Aidan has created the hype around Albert Einstein, it’s 90% what Aidan said at that press morning. I don't believe he was saying it for the sake of it. “I think he really does have faith in the horse. And again, after the race on Saturday, he's not giving up. “This is a brilliant early season flat narrative. What is Albert Einstein going to do? “Bear in mind, in terms of training great sprinters, it's just not O’Brien’s thing. He doesn't train sprinters. So this is going to be really intriguing. “How good is this horse going to be at sprinting? I've said this probably three times this year, - I'm still willing to give him another chance.” Watch the Irish Angle in Full
