'He's obviously a Guineas horse' – Aidan O'Brien's Twain 14-1 for Classic after winning maiden and Group 1 eight days later

Aidan O'Brien described Twain as "special" as the son of Wootton Bassett shook up the 2,000 Guineas market with victory in the Group 1 Criterium International just eight days after his debut. 

Little more than a week ago there will have been very few people outside Ballydoyle who had even heard of Twain but, after a commanding Leopardstown debut and a quick turnaround to win again at Saint-Cloud, he was made as short as 8-1 with one firm for the first Classic of next season.

While stablemate The Lion In Winter remains top of the ante-post lists for the colts’ Classic next May, his absence from the autumn Group 1s has left the door ajar.

Among his stablemates, Expanded ran a race full of promise in the Dewhurst and Camille Pissarro showed plenty of determination to land the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, but it is now Twain who looks to have established himself as first among equals in the continued absence of the Acomb winner.

A six-length defeat of two well-regarded stablemates while everyone else was busy watching the action at Ascot on Champions Day led the Coolmore brains trust to supplement Twain for the Criterium International, and Ryan Moore sided with him even though he hadn’t been at Leopardstown when he made his debut.

“Anyone who saw him thought he was special,” said Aidan O’Brien. “We thought the second and third were decent horses and Twain quickened and left them. What he did was different."

On heavy ground and against more talented opposition that he had trounced in the Prix Thomas Bryon, the sole French-trained challenge Maranoa Charlie failed to burn off his rivals from the front and it was Twain who swept by to take full advantage.

On pitching Twain straight into Group 1 company, O’Brien said: “It probably wasn't fair to him, he only ran eight days ago.

“He's always been highly rated and we ran him last week just in case what happened did happen, as we knew we had to give him a chance and there was only one Group 1 left.

"He's obviously a very good horse, but Ryan said he was very green. He said he jumped very smartly and then he went to sleep. He said he got there too early and was very green when he got there.”

Paddy Power introduced Twain at 14-1 for the 2,000 Guineas, while the same firm went an unchanged 20-1 about the Derby. Unibet were even more impressed, tightening him into 8-1 from 20-1 for Newmarket and 14-1 from 33s for the Derby.

“He's quick and is obviously a Guineas horse so we'll wrap him up for the winter now,” said O’Brien. “Ryan gave him a beautiful ride, he minded him as much as he could while teaching him as much as he could.

“He's a very good mover and he points his toe, so he'd have to be better on a better surface. He's obviously got a big engine but he's a baby. He was ducking at the cone on his way to the start and I was afraid this might be too much for him, but there's only one Criterium and it's the race which was left for him."

Ryan Moore debriefs Aidan O'Brien after Twain's win

Tennessee boosts Hotazhell form

On Saturday Hotazhell won his Group 1 in the Futurity Trophy. Less than 24 hours later Tennessee Stud, the horse Hotazhell beat in the Beresford Stakes, followed suit to land the Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

It took the Joseph O'Brien-trained odds-on favourite a long time to finally get on top of Green Storm, who led from the start and was only just run out of it inside the final furlong. But it was a stamina-laden performance over 1m2f in a race the Westerberg silks were also successful in last year with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Los Angeles.

Like Los Angeles, next year's target will be his first major objective. O'Brien said: "Dylan [Browne McMonagle] gave him a fantastic ride. He said he was really struggling on that ground and never felt comfortable at any stage. I think it's quite heavy there. It's testament to his attitude he was able to fight and fight and still win at the line.

Dylan Browne McMonagle returns after Tennessee Stud's win in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud

"He's very big and I expect him to be better as a three-year-old. He'll have a break and will be trained now with the Derby at Epsom being his target. He could run in one or two trial races."

For O'Brien, the son of record-breaking Irish trainer Aidan and Anne-Marie, there was an added family reason to enjoy the success. He added: "It's very special to win a Group 1 with a two-year-old my mum bred – he goes back to Rock Of Gibraltar's family – so that's very special."

Charlie Johnston was pleased with the performance of Green Storm, saying: "I thought inside the two he'd stolen a bit of a march on Joseph's horse; he was just treading water a bit in the last furlong. 

"I think a mile and a quarter in these conditions just stretched his stamina a bit too far, but he's proved he's up to this level and is a very exciting horse for the middle-distance Classics next year. 

"The owner [Ahmed Al Shaikh] gears his year around the first Saturday in June so I'm sure that's where we'll be aiming. 

"It's frustrating to get beaten, but he hasn't lost much in defeat. He looks a three-year-old in physique."

2,000 Guineas (Newmarket, May 2)
Paddy Power: 5 The Lion In Winter, 8 Expanded, 10 Shadow Of Light, 12 Ruling Court, 14 Twain, 16 bar.

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