Aidan O'Brien has Whistlejacket booked for Phoenix Stakes duty

Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket is all set for Group One action in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

The chestnut son of No Nay Never – a full-brother to Little Big Bear – was a Listed winner in the First Flier earlier in the season after finishing runner-up on debut.

At Royal Ascot he was fourth in the five-furlong Norfolk Stakes after coming with a late run, but regained the winning thread when taking the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket last month, enjoying the move to six furlongs.

That form was nicely boosted at Goodwood, when the third horse home, Aomori City, landed the Vintage Stakes.

The next port of call for Whistlejacket will be the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, where he will be the Ballydoyle representative in preference to stablemate Fairy Godmother.

"Whistlejacket will run there, that’s the plan. Everything is good with him and that’s always been the plan for him," O’Brien said.

"He’s a very straightforward horse. It just didn’t click at Ascot, when he was getting going the race was just finished."

O’Brien also provided an update on Kyprios, a brilliant winner of the Goodwood Cup who is bound for the Irish St Leger to try to regain the title he won in 2022 and missed out on by only three-quarters of a length last year, in what was a remarkable run following nearly a year on the sidelines.

"He’s very good. It’s six weeks to the Curragh so that’s probably where we’ll go," O’Brien said.

"We just want to keep him safe, get through the rest of the year and get to next year with him."

Of the possibility the Irish Leger being the last race of Kyprios’ season, O’Brien added: "It could be, I’d imagine. He could go to Arc weekend, but that’s what we’ll do at the moment anyway. We’ll take it one at a