O’Brien to unleash duo in Breeders’ Cup

Aidan O’Brien says Circus Maximus and Anthony Van Dyck will spearhead his charge in next month’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. Three-year-old Circus Maximus has won three of his last six races, including the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in September, but only managed to finish sixth in the Derby. Anthony Van Dyck has been less successful since winning the Derby at Epsom, with a second at Curragh his best recent placing. However, O’Brien is confident the pair will suit the 12-furlong race in California. He told Sky Sports Racing: “There’s a few different scenarios and after this weekend things will clear up a lot, but I suppose the main two would be Anthony Van Dyck for the Turf and Circus Maximus for the Mile. “There will be others that slot in after that, including Fairyland in the Sprint. “We were delighted with Anthony Van Dyck in the Irish Champion. We ran him in Ascot in the King George when we probably shouldn’t have in the soft ground – he’s a good ground horse.”