O'Brien Looks To G1 Targets For His “Tank” Diego Velazquez After Minstrel Win
Updated: July 20, 2025 at 2:03 pm
By Tom Frary
Putting an unplaced seasonal debut effort at Royal Ascot behind him on Sunday, Ballydoyle's Diego Velazquez (Frankel) proved that the seven-furlong trip of The Curragh's G2 Romanised Minstrel Stakes was well within his repertoire. Sent off the 11-8 favourite despite the Queen Anne no-show, last year's G2 Solonaway Stakes and G3 Meld Stakes winner made Ryan Moore work relatively early but gave what was required to score by a neck from the three-year-old East Hampton (Cracksman).
“He had a tough comeback run and it didn't work out at Royal Ascot, but he showed a good attitude there and is a lovely horse,” his rider said. “He's an uncomplicated horse and there wasn't much pace, so I let him stride on. He tries hard and I'd like to think he'll come forward again.”
Aidan O'Brien added, “He had to be withdrawn from the Amethyst Stakes after getting upset in the stalls and that upset his Ascot plan. Then I wasn't confident enough to tell Ryan to ride him as forward as he would have liked in the Queen Anne, because he hadn't had a run and they only walked the first half of the race so it was a non-event really.
“We knew he would come forward a lot from then to today and he did well to win today over seven. He's a brave horse and Ryan gave him a good ride, as a mile is probably his trip. He's a very well-made horse–powerful, strong and a great walker. Physically as a specimen, he's a tank really. We'll go back up to a mile now for the Sussex or the Jacques le Marois, something like that. He'll have no problem getting back up to nine furlongs or a mile and a quarter at the end of the season.”
Diego Velazquez 😍
Another winner at @curraghrace for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore, who land the Group Two Romanised Minstrel Stakes 🏆@Ballydoyle | @coolmorestud pic.twitter.com/Ft4WSOPQve
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 20, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Diego Velazquez is the last foal out of the Listed National Stakes winner and GIII Appalachian Stakes and G3 Princess Margaret Stakes-placed Sweepstake (Acclamation), who has produced two other classy types for the stable. They are Australia's seven-times Group-winning Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Broome and Point Lonsdale who bagged five Pattern races and the Chesham. She hails from the family of the G1 Phoenix Stakes-winning sire Zoffany and countless other Group winners including Frankel's Irish Derby runner-up Rostropovich and the G1 Metropolitan winner Land Legend by Frankel's sire Galileo.