Another Ryan Moore 'masterclass' as Luxembourg sees off Bay Bridge from the front

A day after bringing Little Big Bear back from an underwhelming reappearance in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Aidan O'Brien repeated the feat with Luxembourg to secure his tenth Tattersalls Gold Cup, 20 years after his first.

At this stage we're running short of superlatives to convey the genius of O'Brien, who was recording his 400th success at the highest level if you combine his 22 over jumps with the 378 he has farmed on the Flat.

In this instance, though, the majesty of his feat was matched by that of Ryan Moore. Maybe we're all inclined to take their rare proficiency for granted, but, in a €450,000 Group 1 that was billed as an epic, it was Moore's sublime turn on the winner that left viewers purring.

With the Champion Stakes victor Bay Bridge the only horse drawn inside him, he sent Luxembourg forward and got a position in front on the rail, immediately rendering one of his main rivals a hostage to fortune. From there, Moore dictated the fractions with aplomb, steadying it once he had his rhythm and then building all the way home once they swept by the five-furlong pole.

With Piz Badile, who eventually finished third, keeping Bay Bridge locked up until just after the two-furlong marker, Moore got first run aboard Luxembourg, who had run so tamely when odds-on for his Mooresbridge return. He and Bay Bridge pulled clear, but Luxembourg readily maintained his superiority to the tune of half a length at the line.

That the first three were in the first three berths throughout illustrates how evenly the tempo was dictated, with the 11-8 favourite Vadeni, who broke slowly and raced in the rear, finishing only fifth of the six runners. The Arc runner-up never got into the race under Christophe Soumillon.

"It was a masterclass," O'Brien said of Moore's steer. "What can you say about Ryan? He is confident, mature, dedicated, passionate; he has a great feel, he is very strong, he has everything. A great fella to work with, which makes it all very special. He's a very good person and is focused. For us, it's a privilege to have him coming over here."

Luxembourg: got the better of Bay Bridge in an absorbing finish

Luxembourg (left) gets the better of Bay Bridge in an absorbing finishCredit: Patrick McCann

As to the horse who returned an 11-4 SP, the world is Luxembourg's oyster. An Irish Champion Stakes was the sum total of his Group 1 haul as a three-year-old, but O'Brien now has a relatively lightly raced four-year-old to go to war with.

The Prince of Wales's Stakes, for which he is now a general 3-1 having been 10-1 and bigger on Sunday morning, is likely up next, with the King George, the Irish Champion Stakes and another stab at the Arc also on the agenda.

Reflecting on Luxembourg's stop-start 2022, O'Brien said: "He went to the Irish Champion Stakes after a terrible preparation. Then he went to the Arc in very bad ground after a very hard preparation for the Champion Stakes, so it was always possible he wouldn't be as good, but the lads had the patience to leave him alone.

"He's a very serious horse, he has done very well from three to four and is the perfect athlete."

When it was put to Moore that he had all his rivals where he wanted them at the two-pole, he countered that Bay Bridge still had the chance to challenge.

"The third horse [Piz Badile] dropped early enough for Bay Bridge to have a shot, and he got to me, but my lad was going good across the line," he said.

"I was quite happy with him inside the last furlong, I thought he was finding plenty and he got to the line very well."

He added: “The ground was bad in the Arc and it just didn’t happen, but he's still quite a lightly raced horse."

Richard Kingscote was satisfied Bay Bridge ran a "huge race" in defeat, and said: "Ryan got to do his own thing up front, but I was pleased my horse responded well when he got out. He settled a great deal better than he did in France so that has been a good step forward."

Soumillon endured a torrid time on Vadeni in the Irish Champion Stakes and this was even more of a non-event for them.

"I think he really needs this race to arrive at his peak, but he is not there yet," he said.

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