O’Brien sets sights on Royal Ascot with Meditate

Aidan O’Brien considers Meditate as a potential Royal Ascot contender after making a winning start to her career at the Curragh.

A €360,000 purchase last summer, the daughter of No Nay Never was a 9-4 shot for her competitive debut in the All Aboard The Manguard Plus Bus To The Curragh Races Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.

Always travelling well on the front end under Ryan Moore, Meditate kicked three and a quarter lengths clear of 15-8 favourite Drunk In Love and is poised for an immediate step up in class.

“We’re delighted with her. She did everything right,” said O’Brien.

“We thought she would have no problem starting at five furlongs, but Ryan said she got to the line very well.

“She was straightforward and has a lovely mind. It was first time and she came straight up there.”

When asked if she could be an Ascot horse, he added: “I think she could be, that’s what you’d imagine. She has all that quality. She’ll go for the fillies’ Group race at Naas next.”

O’Brien and Moore looked well placed to complete a double in the following colts’ maiden, with fellow newcomer Little Big Bear the 7-4 favourite.

But following a nip-and-tuck battle with the Ger Lyons-trained Tough Talk (5-2) and Colin Keane, the market leader was denied by a short head.

Lyons said of his Kingman colt: “I said to Colin going out, take your time, go through the gears and hit the line strong. If you win you win, but if you don’t we’ll win the next day, simple as.

“He’s a horse we’ve always liked. He took it all in and was squealing and shouting in the ring beforehand, it’s the first time I’ve heard him roar since he came to me.

“It’s his first time away from home and first time on grass so there should be plenty of improvement.

“We’ll keep it local and let him tell us when and where we’ll start him back, but it’ll be in Ireland.”