Moore and O'Brien notch century of Group 1s together as Blackbeard lands Morny

If winning a first career Group 1 can ever be considered a straightforward exercise then Blackbeard at least gave the impression of winning the Darley Prix Morny in the style of a routine breeze.

Ryan Moore was able to celebrate his 100th Group 1 victory in partnership with trainer Aidan O'Brien, who is now two from two in juvenile races at that level for the season after Little Big Bear's rout of the opposition in the Phoenix Stakes at the start of the month.

O'Brien has made a career of examining every tiny facet of a horse's make-up in the quest for excellence, but when asked to compare his two young stars, he chose not to overcomplicate the issue.

Casting a look across the Deauville winner's enclosure to runner-up Persian Force, who went down here by half a length but was seven lengths adrift at the Curragh, O'Brien said: "I suppose Little Big Big Bear beat that horse [Persian Force] the last time so there's a tie-in with the form there and you can work it out I think.

"They haven't raced together and this one is a mature horse. Blackbeard is a bigger horse and, like all the No Nay Nevers, he has a lot of speed and is very precocious."

As before the Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly, Blackbeard once again showed a few dance moves and even bucked a couple of times behind the stalls, but he walked into them like a lamb, and once Moore had grabbed the rail he controlled the race in the style of a top-class sprinter, the natural heir to his sire who won this for Coolmore and Wesley Ward in 2013.

That is certainly the bracket in which O'Brien sees Blackbeard, meaning keeping him and Little Big Bear apart will be relatively straightforward.

"He's a proper early, fast and mature two-year-old," said O'Brien of Blackbeard. "He jumps, he takes loads of racing and has loads of speed, and I couldn't be happier with him.

Blackbeard added a first Group 1 success to his resume in the Darley Prix Morny at DeauvilleCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

"Obviously he's very speed-oriented. Who knows? He might get further, but he has a lot of speed.

"He would have an option to come back here for the seven-furlong Group 1 [Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere] and he'd have an option to go back for the Middle Park. All those races are options for him."

O'Brien added: "I think the plan with Little Big Bear is to go back to the National Stakes in Ireland, so that's up to seven furlongs for him.

"I suppose it's not hard [to keep the two apart]. They have all done plenty of racing if we want to stop with any of them.

"You race them at two to expose them and to see how mature they are. I don't think it will be a problem."

O'Brien was winning the Morny for the first time since 2001, when Johannesburg did the business under Mick Kinane, the winner of 'just' the 62 Group 1s for the Ballydoyle trainer.

Richard Hannon remains convinced Persian Force ran below his best in the Phoenix, an opinion which might bring Blackbeard and Little Big Bear closer together.

"He's run a smashing race, he couldn't have done any more and I'm very pleased with him," said Hannon.

"He's a very good horse. He has [run better than at the Curragh], he's run a super race. I'm disappointed to be second, but I'm delighted with his run."

Paddy Power cut Blackbeard into 3-1 favouritism from 11-2 for the Middle Park, while the same firm are 5-1 about Persian Force gaining revenge.

There was to be no repeat Morny win for Richard Fahey as his Norfolk Stakes winner The Ridler finished last of the five runners.

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