Aidan O'Brien: 1,000 Guineas hotpot Santa Barbara will be green at Newmarket

Aidan O'Brien has done many things that redefine the art of the possible in training thoroughbreds but even he admits that he will be watching and learning as Ryan Moore guides red-hot Qipco 1,000 Guineas favourite Santa Barbara up the Rowley Mile on Sunday.

The daughter of Camelot has been all the rage for the opening fillies' Classic since the wraps first started to come off the three-year-olds at Ballydoyle this spring and O'Brien did nothing to dampen enthusiasm in terms of her raw talent when addressing a British Champions Day media call on Thursday.

However, he admitted that after just one run at two – an impressive maiden win at the Curragh – Santa Barbara was going to have to learn on the job on Sunday.

"Anything she works with, she always looks to be going easier than it, no matter what we work her with," said O'Brien. "She's never really been asked to see how much is in there. Whatever she works with she always looks to be dominating at the moment.

Aidan O'Brien on Santa Barbara: 'Whatever she works with she always looks to be dominating at the moment'Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

"Everyone will be excited to see what happens when she does come off the bridle. That’s what everyone is waiting to see. It's a Guineas so it's going to happen at some point."

O'Brien has been clear in recent weeks that Santa Barbara was flying at home and so deliberately spurned the opportunity to give her extra experience in a trial.

Having confirmed that Frankie Dettori will be aboard the stable's only other intended runner, Fillies' Mile third Mother Earth, O'Brien turned his attention to Santa Barbara's unusual profile.

Qipco 1,000 Guineas card and betting

"It is only her second run and running down Newmarket on quickish ground, she will be green," he said. "It will be interesting to see how she copes with it, but either way you would imagine that she will learn a lot from it.

"It'll do her absolutely no harm but you'd say if she'd had a run it might have been a little bit of an advantage to her. But she's a quick learner at home – she's very intelligent. It'll be very interesting."

O'Brien fields three strong chances in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, with Ryan Moore on Wembley and Seamie Heffernan on Van Gogh drawn alongside one another in stalls eight and nine. Dettori will be tucked under the stands' rail aboard Battleground in 15.

Aidan O'Brien pictured with Qipqo 2,000 Guineas contender Battleground

Dubai Dewhurst Stakes winner St Mark's Basilica, the longtime ante-post favourite for the race, was not declared, with O'Brien and the Coolmore partners electing to head to Longchamp and then Chantilly instead.

"There's no drama, we said we'd split them up and train him for the French Guineas with a view to going to the French Derby after that," said O'Brien. "We thought he would suit France and we think that after that there's every chance that he could step up to a mile and a quarter."

Of his three remaining chances, O'Brien said: "Wembley is the highest-rated and he has form on the track, while we always thought that better ground would suit him.

"But Battleground and Van Gogh are two very big horses coming from two to three so it will be interesting to see how their progression goes over the winter."

Qipco 2,000 Guineas card and betting

Ladbrokes made Wembley the 4-1 favourite ahead of Thunder Moon at 5-1, While Battleground is an 8-1 chance and Van Gogh a mover at 9-1 with the firm.

"Ryan Moore has chosen to take the Wembley way as his route to a third 2,000 Guineas triumph," said Ladbrokes spokesman John Lees. "It's a major vote of confidence and should ensure the colt he rode into second place in last year's Dewhurst Stakes goes off favourite."

Read more on the Guineas:

Well-fancied 1,000 Guineas contender Saffron Beach 'could be an Oaks filly'

2021 Qipco 2,000 Guineas: confirmed runners and riders for Saturday's big race

Hannon's track fears for Chindit and the horse he thinks is the biggest threat

Wembley made new favourite for the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday

'He's bang up there' – Mutasaabeq to be supplemented for Qipco 2,000 Guineas

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