Kyprios gives Aidan O’Brien a major injury scare as hot favourite for Ascot Gold Cup limps out of Leopardstown winning enclosure

Seamless on the course, headaches in the winner’s enclosure. Kyprios did what everyone expected him to do as he extended his winning run to a perfect 10 but Aidan O’Brien left Leopardstown concerned about his old friend.

Life has not been straightforward for this wonderfully talented seven-year-old, who came back from a condition that threatened his life in 2023 to win every Cup race last season, and there was some angst for O’Brien again after Kyprios had tootled away with the Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown.

The race was everything O’Brien had hoped it would be, a solid workout without any threat to his supremacy. There was a reason he was sent off 1/14 – nobody in the betting ring availed themselves of those odds – and the gallop had put him on course for Royal Ascot.

But then, as he was posing for a picture with connections, O’Brien noticed that Kyprios had taken a couple of tentative steps. He didn’t know whether it was something or nothing but it was enough to ensure that his mind was occupied on the way back to Tipperary.

‘He might have just sprung a shoe,’ said O’Brien. ‘Listen, with this horse’s history, he is scanned and checked before every race. If it’s his shoe, we can fix that but we will see what happens when we look at him. We will find out. But no chances will be taken with him.’

What a concern. Kyprios, the king of the stayers, was last beaten in October 2023, some 82 weeks ago, and in peak form, nothing would stop him collecting a third Gold Cup at the Royal meeting next month. Clearly, though, it cannot be taken for granted that he will make the starting line.

‘He is a great horse and has been unbelievable,’ said O’Brien. ‘His constitution is incredible. Ryan (Moore) was very happy with him and that will have put him right for Ascot but maybe he has stood on his shoe. We will have to see.’

The evening had started for O’Brien on the best possible footing. Italy, another son of Coolmore’s increasingly influential stallion Wootton Bassett, had left those close to him thinking that he had plenty of gears and he showed that through a taking final furlong.

He had been sent-off the 4/9 favourite, so it was anticipated he would break his maiden at the first time of asking, but he was given a fright when Thesecretadversary slipped away around the home turn and went clear. It was taking, then, just how Italy mowed down the front runner.

‘This fella has got a bit of quality about him,’ said O’Brien. ‘Wayne (Lordan) gave him a lovely ride and he will have learned plenty from it. We would think he’d be a horse for the Tyros Stakes back here. We like him.’

There are more runners for him to follow today. In the UK, O’Brien has a number of chances on a high-class Newbury card, chief among them Ides Of March in the Carnarvon Stakes (1.25pm); there is no Ballydoyle representative in the Lockinge Stakes, however, with Rosallion a hot favourite.

‘It’s probably the best Lockinge we’ve seen for a long time,’ said the colt’s trainer Richard Hannon, of last season’s Irish 2000 Guineas winner. ‘But I’m just hopeful that he returns the same horse he was last season. If he is, then he should have a good year.’