Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable is on a mission to break its own Group 1 record, with the trainer already boasting 12 top-level victories this season. The two-year-old Group 1 races are yet to begin, but O'Brien's juvenile team is already making waves. Among the standout youngsters is Abraham Lincoln, who will make his highly anticipated return at Newmarket this weekend. With a winning debut at the Curragh under his belt, Abraham Lincoln is the 5-6 favourite in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes, and his stablemate Aix La Chapelle is also in the running at 100-30. O'Brien's juveniles are a force to be reckoned with, and the trainer's ability to produce top-level performers is well-documented.
Victorious, another O'Brien-trained juvenile, has also been making waves. With a Racing Post Rating of 109, she is the joint-highest-rated juvenile this season, having won on all three of her starts, including a two-length success in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. Victorious is a half-sister to Sugar Island, who finished third in the Oaks on her latest start, and she holds entries in the Phoenix Stakes, Lowther Stakes, and Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Great Barrier Reef, another unbeaten Ballydoyle juvenile, brought up a hat-trick of wins at Royal Ascot when landing the Coventry Stakes at 6-1. He was ridden by Wayne Lordan, with Ryan Moore opting to partner stablemate Confucius. Great Barrier Reef holds entries in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and Vincent O'Brien National Stakes, as well as the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster in September.
Sun Goddess, another O'Brien-trained juvenile, has also been performing well. With smart form, she finished second in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot before landing the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes. Sun Goddess holds entries in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and Moyglare Stud Stakes, with those races looking like her most likely targets as she bids to make her mark at the highest level.
Carry The Flag, another O'Brien-trained juvenile, was arguably the most disappointing of O'Brien's fancied runners at Royal Ascot. However, he bounced back with victory in the Listed Tipperary Stakes at Naas last weekend to get his campaign back on track. He holds an entry in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, in which he could step back up to six furlongs.
Other notable juveniles include Alpha, who made amends for a beaten favourite debut with an emphatic six-length maiden success at the Curragh. The Sea The Stars filly holds a Group 1 entry in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Giant Sequoia, another leading Derby fancy, holds entries in the Golden Fleece Stakes and the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes. Royal Ascot saw a couple of Ballydoyle's highly regarded juveniles disappoint as beaten favourites, with Confucius finishing sixth in the Coventry Stakes at 2-1 and Sergei Diaghilev coming home ninth in the Windsor Castle Stakes at 11-4.
South Dakota was beaten by Sergei Diaghilev on debut in a Curragh maiden before finishing fourth in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was beaten only a length and a half after being well backed into 100-30. With O'Brien's ability to produce top-level performers, it will be interesting to see which of these juveniles will step up to the plate and make their mark at the highest level.
