The Ballydoyle trainer, who has voiced doubts about The Lion In Winter and Lake Victoria making the Guineas meeting, will also be without Fairy Godmother
Aidan O’Brien has suffered another blow to his 2025 Classic team after one of his leading 1,000 Guineas candidates was retired. Fairy Godmother was a scintillating winner at Royal Ascot last year and second-favourite for this year’s fillies Classis at Newmarket.
She had to come from an unpromising position to win the Albany Stakes in June and did not run again last summer. Injury kept her out of action and a flare-up of the same problem means instead of preparing for the Classics, she will instead visit one of Coolmore’s flagships stallions in Wootton Bassett.
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O’Brien told the PA news agency: “Fairy Godmother has been retired, she just aggravated an old injury. It’s not serious at all, but because it’s an injury from last year, we’re going to retire her and send her to Wootton Bassett next week, she’s going to be covered.
“It’s unfortunate, but she just aggravated it so we’ve decided to retire her.” Fairy Godmother had been as low as 4-1 for the 1,000 Guineas behind Charlie Appleby’s favourite Desert Flower.
The news followed a recent warning from O’Brien casting doubt over whether his Betfred 2,000 Guineas favourite The Lion In Winter will be ready in time for the Newmarket Classic on May 3.
The unbeaten colt broke the juvenile track record at York when winning the Acomb Stakes in August, a race which has seen its form repeatedly boosted.
He did not run again as a two-year-old due to minor setbacks and as a result he is a little bit behind schedule compared to some of O’Brien’s other Classic contenders.
“The Lion In Winter took a little bit of time to come right so he’s a little bit behind the others,” O’Brien said at a Ballydoyle press morning.
“There has to be a doubt about the Guineas but he’s very well, he’s just carrying plenty of condition so he might not make it, in the next couple of weeks we’ll know.”.
His 1,000 Guineas favourite Lake Victoria, who won Group Ones over six and seven furlongs as well as over a mile, is also not certain to be ready in time.
