O’Brien Quintet Enters Quarantine

A string of five Aidan O’Brien-trained runners has entered quarantine for engagements Down Under at the Melbourne Spring Carnival. The Ballydoyle conditioner has entered three for the G1 Melbourne Cup–G1 St Leger second Bondi Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Irish St Leger victor Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as G1 Gold Cup second Kingfisher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})–and will also send Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for an engagement in the G1 Cox Plate Oct. 24 and Ol’ Man River (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) for the G1 Mackinnon S. Oct. 31.

“Aidan has notified me that he is going to put five horses into quarantine at Ballydoyle,” Leigh Jordan, international chief scout for Racing Victoria, told racing.com. “The only thing I would temper that with is that they still have to get on the plane. Albeit by putting them into quarantine, he misses the Arc weekend with any of those horses.”

Jordan added, “He’s one of the world’s leading trainers. He won the Cox Plate last year and I know he hasn’t been back since 2008 [in the Melbourne Cup], and obviously his experience last year was very good.”