O’Brien perplexed by Auguste Rodin’s disappointing performance at Ascot

Aidan O’Brien Struggles to Explain Auguste Rodin’s Disappointing Performance in King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Auguste Rodin, the dual Derby winner trained by Aidan O’Brien, left everyone puzzled with his lackluster display in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. After a disappointing 12th place finish as the favorite in the 2000 Guineas, O’Brien never lost faith and worked tirelessly to bring Auguste Rodin back into top shape for the Derby.

The talented colt, sired by Japanese stallion Deep Impact, defied expectations and secured victories both at Epsom Downs and the Curragh. This achievement made him only the second horse since Harzand in 2016 to win both Classics consecutively.

Auguste Rodin entered Ascot as a strong contender with odds of 9-4 but failed to deliver on race day. Jockey Ryan Moore signaled distress early on, leading many to question what went wrong. Ultimately, Moore allowed Auguste Rodin to finish at his own leisurely pace.

Since then, various theories have emerged attempting to explain this unexpected turn of events. One such theory suggests that during his previous trip from Ireland for the Guineas, he also failed to perform well after taking a plane journey. However, no concrete evidence has been found thus far.

O’Brien addressed these concerns on Tuesday stating that there was some stiffness observed but nothing out of ordinary otherwise: “As of now, there hasn’t been anything unusual detected.” He further mentioned that they will continue monitoring Auguste Rodin’s condition over the next week.