St Mark’s Basilica may not even be the best horse in Ballydoyle but if he lands Saturday’s Coral Eclipse he will almost certainly be the most valuable.
Aidan O’Brien has saddled five Classic winners so far in 2021. Four of them are fillies. His older horse star is another filly, Love.
It’s an enviable array of talent but notably lopsided in terms of gender for the commercial stallion-making business that is Coolmore Stud.
So in a year when O’Brien’s other Classic colts haven’t come up to par, the colt named after Venice’s architectural jewel is something of a collector’s item himself.
A French Guineas and Derby winner, on top of European juvenile championship honours, St Mark’s Basilica is also a son of Siyouni so offers a potentially invaluable breeding cross for all of Coolmore’s Galileo bloodlines.
It’s a stud brochure that almost writes itself but the chance to add in a defeat of top-class older opposition in Sandown’s feature event will make it even more impressive.
A small field of four runners lacks nothing in quality as both Addeybb and Mishriff are top-flight talents to compare with any in the world.
Addeybb is officially top-rated of Saturday’s quartet on 125 and any previous temptation to dismiss his Australian Group One form as second-rate was blown away by a Champion Stakes victory last year.
Some ease in the ground is forecast which is vital to Addeybb’s chance but surfaces of all sorts appear alike to Mishriff.
By most measures it can be easily argued that last year’s French Derby winner is the most accomplished runner on the planet right now.
Beating the best American horses on dirt in the Saudi Cup was a huge achievement in terms of versatility for a top-notch turf runner.
Backing that up shortly afterwards in the Sheema Classic on grass over a mile and a half only confirmed the Gosden-trained runner as a hugely admirable colt with quality matched by versatility.
Should St Mark’s Basilica – reunited with Ryan Moore after two classic victories under Ioritz Mendizabal – get the better of such quality older opponents his CV will be hard to argue with.
Big rivals
His wins in the French Guineas and Derby, as well as in last season’s Dewhurst, all came with cut in the ground so conditions at Sandown should be no problem.
It is a decade since the last of O’Brien’s five Eclipse winners, So You Think, emerged on top in the season’s first major clash of the generations.
Some of the greatest three year olds have landed the Eclipse although only Roaring Lion has won for the classic generation in the last four years.
St Mark’s Basilica has plenty going for him though, not least a 10lb weight for age concession from his two apparent big rivals.
O’Brien’s Group One focus will switch to Paris on Sunday when Broome tries to break his top-flight duck in the €400,000 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
Colin Keane travels for the ride on a horse he memorably edged out on Helvic Dream in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in May.
Also lining up in the race due off at 2.50 Irish-time will be Joseph O’Brien’s rapidly progressive Baron Samedi who will try to stretch his winning streak to eight races in a row.
Thundering Nights made light of a trip to New York to land last weekend’s Pretty Polly and Baron Samedi is back in Europe having landed the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup last time out.
Mickeal Barzalona rides Baron Samedi in a race no Irish-trained horse has won before. The local team appears to be headed by last year’s Arc runner-up In Swoop.
