O’Brien left disheartened as Breeders’ Cup pair withdrawn
Aidan O’Brien Expresses Disappointment Over River Tiber’s Withdrawal from Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf
In a surprising turn of events, Aidan O’Brien had to face the disappointment of withdrawing River Tiber from the highly anticipated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. The young colt was expected to make waves in the mile contest after an impressive third-place finish in the Middle Park Stakes. However, just hours before his scheduled race, vets advised against participating.
The setback also affected another stablemate, Bolshoi Ballet, who was pulled out of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf. Despite these disappointing turn of events, O’Brien maintained a pragmatic attitude towards the situation. He expressed gratitude for being able to compete in such prestigious races but acknowledged that rules are rules and respected them.
O’Brien revealed that River Tiber had been closely monitored throughout the week leading up to the race and seemed fine until this morning when he failed vet checks. The trainer recognized that athletes like horses can have off days or slight stiffness which can affect their performance on any given day.
He highlighted how opinions may vary among different veterinary panels and emphasized that even though they might not always agree with decisions made by authorities, it is important to abide by them. In this case, it unfortunately did not fall favorably for his horses.
Looking ahead to River Tiber’s future plans, O’Brien mentioned that he will most likely take a break as originally intended since this would have been his final run anyway. The focus will then shift towards training him for next year’s Classics.
Despite the disappointment, O’Brien still had reason to celebrate as Unquestionable, another horse from his stable, secured victory in the Juvenile Turf under jockey Ryan Moore. Although River Tiber’s withdrawal was not an isolated incident, with other horses like Givemethebeatboys also being scratched from their respective races, trainer Jessica Harrington expressed her frustrations.
Harrington revealed that Givemethebeatboys had been thoroughly examined throughout the week and showed no signs of any issues. However, on the day of the race during a routine trotting session, vets noticed a slight imbalance in his off fore leg. While Harrington disagreed with their assessment citing peculiarities in how horses are trotted up at different surfaces and locations within tracks she respected their decision.
The unexpected turn of events left her contemplating whether future participation in such fixtures is worth it due to potential discrepancies between assessments by veterinary teams. She emphasized bringing out sound horses but acknowledged the fine line between caution and going overboard when it comes to horse welfare and safety.