SO YOU THINK IN TEN LENGTH ROMP

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Australia’s loss is Europe’s gain. We all knew that the minute So You Think left Bart Cummings’ stable and travelled north to join the powerful Aidan O’Brien yard in Ireland after Coolmore Stud had purchased a controlling interest in the horse.

The High Chaperral five-year-old would be a star in any stable.

After a full six months off the track following his third place finish in the Melbourne Cup, the two-time Cox Plate winner, who already had already banked $5.6 million courtesy of eight wins (including five Group 1’s) from twelve starts in Australia, stepped out for his northern hemisphere debut in the Group 3 Mooresbridge Stakes over 2000m at The Curragh.

The race was never a serious contest.

Windsor Palace set the early pace. The leader was tracked by Bob Le Beau while Seamie Heffernan was content to allow So You Think to bowl along in third place in the early stages.

Bob Le Beau relieved Windsor Palace of the lead approaching the 200m mark, but his effort was just a minor, momentary cameo to the main act and when Heffernan gave So You Think more rein the champion stretched right away from all opposition with the minimum of fuss to win, untroubled, coming home every bit as easily as the ten length winning margin suggests.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Aidan O’Brien: "He didn't do much between his racecourse gallop here last month and today and he only needs to do half-speeds at home. He was just ready to come racing.

"He went through the line like he was going to the start.
"He came to Ireland with the most unbelievable reputation and is a real product of Australian breeding, training and racing.

“We heard all the things about how unbelievable he was and when you see him, you can believe it.

"We've had some good horses from Australia, Starspangledbanner and Haradasun, but when this fellow walked through the door, we've never experienced anything like it. He's unique.

"He seems to go so easily in his races that he could either go up or even step back in trip, but his most likely next race is the Tattersalls Gold Cup here on May 22."

That would put So You Think on a collision path with Workforce, the Derby and Arc winner.

O’Brien has yet to outline plans for So You Think beyond the Tattersall’s Gold Cup, but, with the Prix De l'Arc De Triomphe at Longchamp in October looming as an obvious target, the chance of So You Think returning to Australia to attempt to win a third successive Cox Plate seems remote.

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