O'Brien: no concerns over Arizona's stamina ahead of third clash with Pinatubo

Aidan O'Brien is confident leading Qipco 2,000 Guineas contender Arizona will not be troubled by the stamina demands of the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, with the Coventry Stakes hero on course to clash with Pinatubo for a third time next week.

The son of No Nay Never was just over nine lengths behind the brilliant Godolphin colt in last year's National Stakes, but narrowed the gap to two lengths when chasing home the same rival in the Dewhurst Stakes in October.

The market regards Arizona as the biggest threat to Pinatubo in the opening Classic of the season on Saturday June 6, priced between 5-1 and 15-2 to provide O'Brien with a remarkable 11th win in the race.

A five-week delay to the Guineas meant O'Brien eased off his Classic contender's preparations in the interim, but he has always been optimistic about the battle-hardened youngster's potential to improve as a three-year-old.

"He's in good form and everything has gone well with him," he said.

Arizona: last seen finishing off well for fifth after not having the clearest of runs in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile TurfCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Obviously we had our eye on the first weekend in May with him. He was getting ready for that, but we eased back a bit.

"He's a big, rangy, scopey horse and we always thought he'd improve from two to three, that it would suit him being a three-year-old."

The Ballydoyle trainer, buoyed by the manner in which Arizona finished off strongly over the same trip to finish fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last November, says he has long viewed the Guineas distance as being within the colt's compass.

"He's a Coventry winner who got home well that day," explained O'Brien.

"He's by No Nay Never, who would be an influence for speed, but we always thought a mile was going to be well within his grasp.

"Sometimes you would run a horse over a trip, looking at them with one eye open thinking it wasn't going to happen in terms of staying, but we always thought this horse would get the trip."

Pinatubo cleared away from Arizona and Wichita, two rivals he will likely face again in next week's Qipco 2,000 GuineasCredit: Edward Whitaker

O'Brien added: "He's a straightforward horse, a good traveller and likes nice ground. We've been looking forward to running him through the whole year.

"He travelled plenty last year and got plenty of experience. We did that with a view to this year, in that he would know what he had to do when turning up on those days."

Arizona is expected to form one element of a strong Guineas challenge for Ballydoyle, with the likes of Wichita, New World Tapestry, Royal Dornoch and Royal Lytham also being considered for the Newmarket prize.

O'Brien himself is not likely to be in attendance himself on the day, though, with Irish quarantine restrictions requiring anyone coming into Ireland to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.

The dilemma means that the expansive Tipperary-based team may have to temporarily base some of its members in Britain for raceday duties, while other staff travel back and forth with the horses on the day of each fixture.

O'Brien explained: "I think the plan is that we're in the process of renting or leasing a house in Newmarket. The lads are going to go over and stay.

Arizona: appears likely to have Ryan Moore aboard again in the Qipco 2,000 GuineasCredit: Edward Whitaker

"People here will put the horses on the plane and fly over, then the lads in Newmarket will take the horses and look after them at the races, then bring them back to the plane.

"The lads who are flying the horses will fly them over [home] before the people in Ireland will take them again. That's what we're thinking at the moment. The lads in Newmarket will stay and hopefully do Ascot as well."

With the royal meeting coming hot on the heels of the Newmarket Classics, O'Brien said it is likely that Ryan Moore will stay in Britain rather than come to the Curragh for the Tattersalls Irish Guineas six days after Newmarket, although he stressed plans were fluid.

"I think that's the way it's going to be at the moment but it is changing here all the time," he explained. "We're taking things on a day-to-day basis."

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