Luxembourg Targets Champion Stakes After Winning Return

An exciting season lies ahead of Luxembourg (3c Camelot - Attire, by Danehill Dancer) after the Group 1 victor made a winning return in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained bay was unbeaten as a two-year-old, with his campaign including an impressive Group 2 success and a Group 1 win in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy. The son of Camelot finished third on reappearance in the 2,000 Guineas but had been absent since that start in April.

Sent off favourite on return, he chased the leaders under Ryan Moore and made headway when pushed along approaching the two furlong marker. Leading a furlong later, he was ridden when challenged by Insinuendo (Gleneagles) and ran on well to prevail by a neck on the line, with the pair finishing over four lengths clear of the field.

“I can't tell you how delighted we are,” O'Brien said after the race. "He can go a very high tempo and quicken off it, and he quickened today off a slow pace. Going to the line, he was coasting again.”

O’Brien expects plenty of improvement from Luxembourg, he continued. “We came here with High Chaparral before [winning] the Irish Champion, and he came on lovely from it. This horse had a lot more to come on because he had a big setback and I thought he would improve 20 to 30 per cent from today.”

The Irish Champion Stakes is next on the agenda for Luxembourg, before targeting the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Bought by MV Magnier for 150,000gns as a yearling, the BV Sangster-bred bay is owned by Westerberg, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. The son of Camelot is a half-brother to Group 2 scorer Leo De Fury (Australia) and Group performer Sense Of Style (Zoffany).