The purchase of Al Riffa by Australian Bloodstock in August proved to be a shrewd move, as the Joseph O’Brien-trained horse recorded an easy success in the 2800m Group 1 Irish St Leger.
Australian Bloodstock, led by director Jamie Lovett, have a proven record with purchasing European candidates, buying both 2014 and 2022 Melbourne Cup winners Protectionist and Gold Trip from the Northern Hemisphere.
Al Riffa had all the credentials for a likely Melbourne Cup contender, having recorded two Group 1 victories – in the 1400m National Stakes as a juvenile and in the 2024 renewal of the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. His comfortable success in the 2800m Group 2 Curragh Cup demonstrated a propensity for a stamina test, all key criteria for a horse to be successful at Flemington.
The five-year-old is also trained by Joseph O'Brien, who knows exactly how to win a Melbourne Cup. Son of legendary Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, the young trainer has already won the 'race that stops a nation' twice with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020).
Speaking after the Irish St Leger victory, O'Brien said: "We knew that the guys that were guaranteed stayers were going to try and expose the stamina of some of the guys that weren't so guaranteed and the pace was really, really strong.
"Dylan was cool on the horse and confident. He's been a great horse for us. He's been a star. He always turns up and runs his race. A mile and a quarter plus, all grounds. I'm delighted for the new ownership, Jamie (Lovett) and the Australian Bloodstock team and partners.
"He has the right attributes. He settles well and has a turn of foot and obviously he stays. It will be a huge ask to carry the weight he's going to be asked to carry, being a multiple Group 1 winner, but that's what racing's all about. Hopefully we have a smooth preparation."
The Irish St Leger was the first time Lovett had seen his new purchase.
"He was superb," Lovett enthused.
"He got a lovely ride. The speed was on but he was perfectly prepared by Joseph and his team and we're just delighted to be part of it, late on the scene, but hopefully there's many more good races in the horse.
"He wasn't a hard horse to identify. When he went out to 2800m last time (in the Michael John Kennedy Curragh Cup), that's what convinced us. Obviously we'd love to win the Melbourne Cup and Joseph knows how to do that. We'll need to carry weight, because they won't miss him, but I feel sure that he's the right horse to do that."
