Aidan O’Brien has yet another classic colt on his hands in St Mark’s Basilica, who landed Sunday’s French 2,000 Guineas and could secure singular status for himself back in France next month. However, it looked far from a straightforward task at halfway when St Mark’s Basilica was badly checked by Sealiway. Poetic Flare struggled to pick up as Mendizabal brought St Mark’s Basilica with a withering run on the outside and the 9-4 shot proved much too good for the 80-1 outsider Colosseo. He has an option to go to Ascot (St James’s Palace Stakes) or go back for the French Derby,” he said. Instead it was Christophe Soumillon, who’d earlier done St Mark’s Basilica no favours on Sealiway, that did the steering and there looked to be no excuses for the Irish star.

Source: The Irish Times May 16, 2021 15:41 UTC