The equestrian world was treated to some of the greatest performances this year. From the Triple Crown to the Saratoga events, it has been a hell of a ride for the horse-riding world. The thrill of saddling up on the horse for the ultimate triumph was not limited to these events. And there were several other performers who made a name for themselves. Numerous trainers have gone beyond their limits to risk it all for high-stakes events this year, and many of them continue to do so as the year comes to an end.

In a similar vein, an equestrian who is currently training the leading three contenders in the 2024 Derby market had a chance of adding one more horse to his leading pack of incredible horses. But his bid to create another champion was challenged in the latest Criterium de Saint-Cloud race.

The equestrian trainer faces challenges

As per the reports from Racing Post, Aidan O’Brien, who has trained a new equestrian sensation named Illinois, recently faced a speed bump when the horse lost the aforementioned event. However, Los Angeles, who achieved a podium finish in the race, was also trained by O’Brien. Talking about Illinois and his performance, O’Brien stated, “It?s a great race at a good time of the year, and it?s a tough race, you need a good horse to win it. He?s still a baby and will improve plenty.”

On the other hand, Los Angeles has joined the ever-growing list of O’Brien’s Classic contenders for 2024 with this incredible finish. He looked promising on the soft ground and took home the Group 1 victory for his trainer. Jockey Christophe Soumillon rode the horse, and the duo faced stiff competition from Islands in the stream as the horse finished second. Illinois was placed third after short with three-quarters of a length margin. Going by the trainer’s “still a baby” statement, it seems the horse has quite a lot of room for improvement.

Illinois: Just getting started!

Aidan O’Brien has trained a whole long list of equestrian sensations, and Illinois is just a new addition to it. He was sired by Galileo and is the brother of Venice Beach. He is currently priced at 25-1 with some bookmakers for the upcoming Epsom Classic in 2024. It seems he is trailing an extraordinary pack of the City of Troy, Henry Longfellow, and Diego Velazquez. What’s more, he will be looked up to as the one who can replicate his stable mates.

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It has only been two weeks since Illinois secured his maiden victory and lit the spark of hope in his trainer’s mind. Talking about which, O’Brien stated that he was happy with the way he triumphed in his maiden start. He further added that he was “looking forward”?to winning another event. Nonetheless, Illinois has just touched the professional equestrian grounds, and he still has a distance to go.

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