‘One in a million’ Kyprios not ruled out of Arc contention

Aidan O’Brien was not ruling out a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Kyprios after the popular stayer took back his crown in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh.

The son of Galileo carried all before him in 2022, winning the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp, but suffered a life-threatening injury the following spring and was beaten on his Irish Leger comeback and again on Champions Day at Ascot, albeit performing with credit given the circumstances.

The six-year-old has returned to his very best this season, however, regaining the Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup, and it was no surprise he was the 2-5 favourite market leader to do the same in the final Classic of the year on home soil.

After tracking his pacesetting stablemate The Euphrates for much of the one-mile-six-furlong contest, Kyprios was bustled into the lead at the top of the home straight as Ryan Moore looked to draw the finish out of Marco Botti’s Yorkshire Cup and Princess of Wales’s Stakes hero Giavellotto.

The latter was travelling ominously well in the hands of Oisin Murphy but was unable to reel in the hot favourite, who galloped on remorselessly to prevail by two and a quarter lengths.

The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban came from the rear of the field to throw down his challenge and split Kyprios and Giavellotto in second.

“He’s so special and we can see what he did there today,” O’Brien said.

“He’s a very, very special horse and every year he seems to be improving. That even looks to be his best again. Ryan said he won so easy.

“It’s a special place and a special race and these kind of horses are once in a lifetime.

“In the Ascot Gold Cup very few horses are able to get that far (two and a half miles), but this horse has serious class as well.

“He’s so genuine to get through what he did and still be the way he is and stay the way he does and relax the way he does. He’s one in a million.”

Paddy Power make Kyprios their 4-6 favourite from 11-10 for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup while offering 25-1 from 50-1 for the Arc.

When asked if he could run again this year, O’Brien added: “I’m not sure, he doesn’t have to. The way we approach every race is that we see how he is and have a chat and then see if we go again.

“He looks very fresh there. He could run in an Arc, we knew that, at any time. It’s important to mind him, do the right thing for him, and let him tell us how he is and where he wants to go at that time of the year.

“There is only one Arc and he has a serious engine. He just doesn’t get tired, he keeps going.”

Reflecting on the issue that Kyprios had last year, O’Brien said: “He got an infection in a joint capsule, but Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner of Moyglare Stud) was so patient with him and there was no pressure to do anything with him.

“Whether he raced or didn’t last year there was absolutely no pressure and it’s the patience that Eva had with him.

“There are so many people did a lot of work with him and we’re so grateful to them all.

“Having so much time and no pressure on anybody gave us the time to get him back.”

Bucher-Haefner, daughter of the late Walter Haefner, who purchased Moyglare in 1962, said: “It’s the first time I’ve been here that he’s won. I was here last year and he was second. What beautiful work they’ve done with him because he was quite sick.”

When asked if we’d see him next year, she said: “I’d say yes, I would love to see him again.”