Sporting Life
Our Value Bet columnist

Constitution River wins Prix du Jockey Club in Aidan O'Brien one-two-three

Horse Racing
Sun May 31, 2026 · 7h ago

Matt Brocklebank reflects on Sunday's stunning Prix du Jockey Club for Aidan O'Brien in which the trainer saddled the first three home.

“Un, de, trois - wow,” Francis Graffard could be seen mouthing to someone close by in a slow-motion replay on Sky Sports Racing after Aidan O’Brien took the plaudits in Sunday’s Qatar Prix du Jockey Club.

Constitution River, the 15/8 favourite brilliantly ridden by Ryan Moore, led home the Ballydoyle domination from Hawk Mountain (4/1, Christophe Soumillon) and Montreal (28/1, Wayne Lordan) in what appeared to be a tactical masterclass.

It obviously doesn’t always work quite so swimmingly – see last season’s King George when Continuous and Los Angeles fluffed their lines in some style – but this was a well-hatched plan that played out to a tee.

Montreal, the early front-runner, and Group 1-winning Hawk Mountain, are clearly high-class colts in their own right, but there was quite a strong hint of chosen one about Constitution River in the immediate aftermath of his striking Dee Stakes win at Chester, so much so there was an understandable call from some to try his stamina for 12 furlongs by running in the Betfred Derby at Epsom.

Chantilly’s mile and a quarter – a race in which Constitution River’s sire Wootton Bassett has enjoyed success in the past courtesy of Almanzor (2016) and the O’Brien-trained Camille Pissarro just last year – was preferred and despite being drawn 15 of 16, with the other pair hardly a great deal better off in 11 and eight respectively, Moore initially opted to hold his position way out wide, presumably safe in the knowledge that if he didn’t take back like one or two others around him were bound to do, he’d have the engine under him to slot in close behind his stablemates when the time came.

That moment arrived after about two and a half furlongs and from that point it must have made for quite comfortable viewing for the Coolmore 'lads'. They had complete control over a French Classic, the baton being held by the outsider and highly likely to be passed along that line until the favourite picked it up as he did with almost exactly one furlong to go.

No doubt the odd finger will be pointed when such a one-sided scenario plays out. Why would William Buick aboard Komorebi not look to push on and keep Moore deep on the course? How didn't Hankelow or Oxagon make more use of their advantageous draws in stalls one and three respectively?

Didn't everyone see this coming?!

Reasonable questions to ask on the one hand, but trainers and jockeys must focus on their own and O'Brien obviously held all the aces. His vastly experienced riders played their cards at the right moments and it all fell into place for what was surely the best horse in the race regardless.

Unbeaten since his short-head second to Distant Storm on the July Course in Newmarket last summer, Constitution River might stay further in time and there’s little in the dam’s side of his pedigree to dissuade connections from giving it a go at some point if desired. He isn’t short of speed either and could, conversely, end up running in a top-class mile race come the end of the season. That commercial consideration could certainly come into play.

But from this point all the major 10 furlongs races – Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes – look more likely targets for a rapidly improving colt who, let's not forget, on Sunday was merely opening his Group 1 account. It just so happened to be in quite remarkable fashion.

And the fourth home? Well, that was A Boy Named Susie, trained by Aidan’s son, Donnacha O’Brien. Un, de, trois, quatre.

Just wow.

Earlier on, Behrayna’s star continued its ascension in the Prix de Royaumont, a race Graffard has now won four times in the past nine years. Last season it was Sunly who came out on top for the same stable at Chantilly before just missing out in the Longchamp’s Prix de Malleret, and this year’s graduate could be an even smarter prospect in the long run.

Behrayna has loads of size and scope and briefly used her muscle to manufacture some racing room before Mickael Barzalona asked her to quicken in the straight. The response was immediate as the daughter of Sea The Moon galloped on impressively to extend her perfect record to three from three.

It was only a six-runner Group 3, but on this showing it’s no surprise she’s among the 11 three-year-old fillies currently entered for the Arc de Triomphe.

Her dam (Behnasa) is a half-sister to Behkabad who was fourth in the 2010 Arc won by Workforce and she will surely be kept at home and quietly nurtured towards a serious autumn campaign rather than go for anything too ambitious too soon (the Irish Oaks having been mentioned in dispatched post-race).

Behrayna was settling at a general 25/1 for the big one in early-October, with Constitution River 8/1 from 16s with Paddy Power and Hawk Mountain 20/1.

Over to you, Epsom.

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