
A field of ten will line up in Friday’s Group 1 Coronation Cup, a 12-furlong contest for 4-year-olds and up that will be run prior to the G1 Investec Oaks.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien will be represented by three runners in the race, including the full brothers Highland Reel and Idaho. Both horses should be familiar to U.S. fans – Highland Reel is a multiple G1 winner, and has captured both the G1 Secretariat and G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Idaho is still seeking his first G1 victory. He had to settle for in the money finishes against rival Harzand in both the G1 Investec Derby and G1 Irish Derby prior to winning the G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes. He finished the season with fifth-place finish in the G1 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine.
O’Brien’s third runner is US Army Ranger, a multiple G3 winner that finished second in the Derby last year. He’s been second and third in two starts so far this season.
One of the top threats to the O’Brien’s brotherly pair is Godolphin’s Hawkbill. The 4-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy was a G1 winner last year, taking the Coral-Eclipse Stakes last year by a half-length. He has captured one of two starts this season.
Read more at Irish Racing.com
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2017 Paulick Report.