State Of Rest Achieves Group 1 Target As O’Brien Loot More Overseas Wealth | Horse racing news

By Scott Burton, France Correspondent
UPDATED AT 6:22 PM, MAY 1, 2022

Connections had to wait while stewards heard an objection – O’Brien broke pace in his interview on hearing the horn honk for an inquiry, perhaps marked by previous good and bad experiences with Imperial Monarch and Gleneagles at Longchamp – but the result was quickly confirmed and State Of Rest is now arguably the oldest horse to beat over a mile and a quarter.

“That was our main objective this season, to try to win a Group 1 here,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully we look for the Tattersalls Gold Cup next time in Ireland.”

Coral and Betfair Sportsbook are now 8-1 over the winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, and that should also be on State Of Rest’s agenda, while a second Cox Plate is the ultimate target.

“I think it has to be said that with these ten furlong races, there’s a pretty clear path for this type of horse through the summer,” O’Brien said.

“It’s owned by an Australian group, Newgate Stud and their partners, so I would say [Australia] is probably at the end of the season, but hopefully he has some nice goals throughout the summer in Europe before that.”

There are often discussions about the merit of the Southern Hemisphere form over sprint distances, with many critics claiming that an Aussie champion like Winx should have played away from home to prove his true worth.

Here the 2021 Cox Plate winner beat the same year’s Champion Stakes hero at Sealiway, with last year’s Ganay winner Mare Australis fourth and a disappointing Skalleti unable to show his best on the fast pitch in fifth.

With Francis Graffard on duty at Newmarket, it was up to Pauline Chehboub of Haras de la Gousserie to review Sealiway’s effort, which was a clear improvement on his previous run when he was beaten in the Harcourt Prize.

“We are a bit disappointed, but he will win one at some point this season,” Chehboub said.

“Sealiway might be a bit more effective on softer ground, bbut he’s a fighter and he showed it when he beat Dubai Honor in the Champion Stakes.”

Exbury Award winner Pretty Tiger, who was forced to change yards during the week after coach Fabrice Vermeulen began a three-month suspension, shared the two.

His new coach Pia Brandt said: “He rode a fabulous race. His jockey [Sylvain Ruis] felt that but for the interference, he might have won.

“Pretty Tiger has already raced several times this year, so we will decide what to do next with his owner. The long-term plan is to try him again at 2,400 meters. [a mile and a half] with a view of the Arc.”

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FIRST PUBLICATION AT 3:37 PM, MAY 1, 2022