A Triumph dark horse? Gary Moore ready to unleash Aidan O'Brien's Irish Derby fourth over hurdles soon

Gary Moore is close to unleashing one of the most exciting juvenile hurdle prospects he has had his hands on.

Peking Opera was a 100,000gns purchase off the Flat at the Tattersalls horses-in-training sale in September. He won two of his seven starts, including at Listed level, was sent off at 6-1 for a Group 2 at Royal Ascot and finished fourth behind Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby.

A peak rating of 105 meant he was 4lb higher on the Flat than JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Burdett Road. As far as Moore can tell there is just one catch, he was previously trained by Aidan O'Brien.

That was said with respect. Moore, whose son Ryan is stable jockey for O'Brien, cannot see how he is going to improve a horse previously under the care of the Ballydoyle maestro – and certainly is not sure they would have let him go if he was a Triumph Hurdle horse, as Moore thinks he is.

So Moore cannot wait to get him to the track to find out.

Peking Opera was declared at Ascot on Saturday, a meeting that succumbed to the cold weather, and was entered but not declared at Warwick on Monday (1.45). He is a general 20-1 chance for the Triumph.

But Moore is keen to get him out soon and said: "He's taken to his jumping pretty well. I'm perfectly happy with him and I'd like him to run very soon.

"You'd say the Triumph Hurdle would be the obvious target [for a horse with his ability on the Flat], but he's got to go and do it over hurdles first."

Gary Moore: trains Peking Opera

Expressing his concerns, Moore playfully added: "It's just not a very good place to have one come out of is the only thing, you don't see many come out of Aidan's and improve so time will tell. Generally if they've one they think is a Triumph Hurdle horse they end up in different colours!"

O'Brien last won the Triumph Hurdle in 2016 with Ivanovich Gorbatov, overseen by his son Joseph before he took out his training licence, and a number of similar types formerly of Ballydoyle have had juvenile hurdle campaigns in recent years for Joseph O'Brien in the ownership of JP McManus.

But with O'Brien jnr concentrating more on the Flat recently, perhaps Peking Opera has slipped through the net.

If he has there are few better yards he could have ended up in for a juvenile hurdle campaign. Moore's Goshen had the Triumph Hurdle at his mercy before unseating at the last in 2020. He trained Porticello to win the then Grade 1 Finale Hurdle the following year and has already claimed the race this season, downgraded to a Grade 2, with the impressive Salver.

JCB Triumph Hurdle, 1.30 Cheltenham, March 15

bet365: 4 Burdett Road, 6 Sir Gino, 7 Storm Heart, 9 Bunting, 14 Kargese, Salvator Mundi, Salver, 16 bar

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