Scandinavia is keeping Rahiebb, since No 3 Jockey Tom Marquand takes the army

Aidan O’Brien’s priority in the European racing in the past 20 years is so inexorable that it can sometimes be taken for granted, but even according to the standards of Ballydoye, the 2025 season is an extraordinary campaign that could match or even surpassed, or even surpassed, the record breaking in the world.

Scandinavia was the 16th winner of O’Brien at the highest level in the St. Army here on Saturday, while Delacroix-as Scandinavia, a 2-1 favorite and a few hours later took the total at 17, with an exceptional turn of foot to win the Irish Champion Stakes in Leopardstown under Christophe Soumillon.

There is so much strength in the stable in O’Brien’s stable this year that Lambourn, the Derby winner, turned out to be the weakest link in his three-person team for the army, while fading in the fourth after setting a strong gallop. But Lambourn and Sean Levey had set it up perfectly for Scandinavia and Tom Marquand at that time to spread two furlongs, and the proven protrusion of the winner of the two-mile Goodwood Cup allowed him to show it by the last quarter as Rahiebb and Scandinavia’s stable companion.

Marquand was called up for the ride on Scandinavia while O’Brien struggled with a mini crisis in his team of Jockeys, after a seasonal leg injury for Ryan Moore and a 10-day suspension for Wayne Lordan, who drove Lambourn to his Derby-success. The fact that he had driven Scandinavia as a two-year-old was perhaps what the balance put on his way, and the gambling market struggled to separate Scandinavia and Lambourn until shortly before the start, when money lets the first broadcast as the 2-1 favorite.

“I will be honest, I would have been happy about one of the three, every ride in a classic is big,” said Marquand. “I drove him as a two -year -old in Newmarket and really liked him, it was one of those when the stars sometimes lines on each other, when I drove him that day. Of course I didn’t think I would win the army on him, but it’s nice to ride these horses early if they go on in permanent types, because they just take their time to get there.

‘He has the most beautiful temperament [and] He was cool today, it is a long way on that ground when you tried to ward off good horses. He remains extremely good, as he showed in Goodwood, but I thought it was a real show of his tenacity on that ground today. “

Soumillon, O’Brien’s stand-in no. 1 After the injury of Moore, had drawn a blank on his first nine rides for Ballydoyle after his call-up before the first day of the Irish Champions weekend, but his lasting quality arose on board Delacroix in the playing event of the afternoon.

Soumillon, in turn, grabbed the initiative in turn and achieved a decisive advantage before Delacroix showed that Grit went with his bend of the foot and the challenge of Anzin, the Secondfavourite, held three -quarters of a length.

“He is a horse to speed up, right?” Said O’Brien. “He [Soumillon] Was very confident and took his time on him, but when he said Go, he just left.

“It’s the speed he has, but what he did at Sandown [in the Eclipse Stakes] Was very unusual, you see that no horses do and he did it again today. Two steps, it was over. He was not there, and the next one, he was gone. ‘

Delacroix is ​​now a hugely important stallion perspective for the Coolmore Stud operation that delivers the O’Brien ammunition, because he is an outcross of the Wells Bloodlines from Galileo and Sadler who occur in many of the Stud brothers. As a result, it is very unlikely that he would race at four o’clock and O’Brien did not affect even a few further outing after Saturday’s success. “It could be,” O’Brien said if it was the last race of the horse. “I can’t tell you how important he is … He really has all the options.”