Superstar Horse Auguste Rodin Remains in Training with Big International Targets for 2024

Aidan O’Brien’s superstar horse Auguste Rodin will stay in training for 2024, with some big international races the target for the Epsom Derby and Breeders’ Cup Turf hero. 

Auguste Rodin: Horse Set to Race on in 2024 as a 4-year-old

Following a successful season that ended when with World Championship glory across the Atlantic, many expected that the Deep Impact colt would be retired to stud, given his obvious value as a sire. However, it has now been confirmed that Auguste Rodin will race on in 2024 – much to the delight of horse racing fans around the world.

His three-year-old season didn’t get off to an ideal start when he was tailed off in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket when sent off favourite. As expected though, O’Brien worked his magic to get Auguste Rodin back to his best and on his second run of the season he fended off King Of Steel to win the Epsom Derby.

Auguste Rodin wins the @Betfred Derby!

Classic redemption for the Deep Impact colt after Guineas disappointment with victory in the world’s most famous Flat race.

NINE Derby triumphs for trainer Aidan O’Brien 👏 #DerbyFestival #ディープインパクト #オーギュストロダン pic.twitter.com/kb9ZyY8WK5

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 3, 2023

He then built on that Derby performance and romped home to triumph in the Irish Derby at the Curragh just under a month later, before disappointing in the King George at Ascot later in the summer.

Since that flop, however, Auguste Rodin won both the Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf in California last time out (see below).

What could be next for this special horse, Auguste Rodin? “Anything from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half is open to him, he seems to be very comfortable over those sort of trips and sure look it’s very exciting to have him back next year,” said Ballydoyle maestro O’Brien. Judging on these words, he looks set to race over both 1m 2f and 1m 4f again in 2024.

Breeders’ Cup Classic May Be Target For Auguste Rodin

When O’Brien was asked if the Breeders’ Cup Classic may be on the radar, he neither confirmed nor denied that it could be a target “It’s a long way away, but the only thing I can say at this stage is that any race is open to him,” he added.

The Classic is ran over 1m 2f, with Auguste Rodin winning over that trip in the Irish Champion Stakes. Of course the big difference would be the transition from turf to dirt, but O’Brien is known as one of the best Flat trainers in the world. If anyone could pull it off, then it would be him.

Auguste Rodin is available at ante post betting odds of 16/1 for the feature Breeders’ Cup race.

Auguste Rodin Could Give Aidan O’Brien Third Arc de Triomphe Win

A mile-and-a-half looks to be his best trip, with three wins from four starts over that distance in 2023. The Arc could certainly be an option for the Auguste Rodin to explore en route back to America in the autumn.

O’Brien doesn’t have the best record in Europe’s richest race, however, with only two previous successes. They came first with Dylan Thomas in 2007, and most recently with Found in 2016.

Auguste Rodin can be backed at around 20/1 on the best betting sites to win the 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Options In Middle East This Spring

Some of horse racing’s most illustrious prize money can be won in the Middle East on both the dirt and turf. Auguste Rodin could target the Dubai Sheema Classic (1m 4f on turf) at Meydan, a race that O’Brien has trained the winner in once before with St Nicholas Abbey in 2013.

There is also an option on the dirt and that is the Dubai World Cup ran over 1m 2f. O’Brien is yet to win this race, but it is a contest that many foreign trainers like to run their horses in before heading to America for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Other Possible Races For Auguste Rodin

There are also plenty of races to be won with Auguste Rodin closer to home. A defence of his Irish Champion Stakes crown could be on the cards and the Group 1 Tattesalls Gold Cup at the Curragh could also be a spring target.

O’Brien won’t ignore Royal Ascot either where the only option for a horse like Auguste Rodin is the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on day two of the meeting. Another crack at the King George at the same venue later on next summer may also come under consideration.

There are other valuable Group 1 prizes like Sandown‘s Coral Eclipse and the Juddmonte International at York at 1m 2f, where Auguste Rodin could show up. The fact that he stays in training creates lots of exciting opportunities, which also include the 1m 4f Coronation Cup back at Epsom.

Auguste Rodin Horse Profile

1.

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