Australia: The same, but different

The same, but different. The force of nature that is the wound-up, worked-up racehorse on the track, full of intensity and nervous energy, is the same power but a different animal in his home environment. That goes for Aidan O'Brien, too. Meeting him at Ballydoyle, on a morning for the press, O'Brien is the same pseudo-caricatured O'Brien you see and hear in interviews, yet he's also different; more at ease, more rounded, more human even. The language is the same, but the tone is different. The spiel is the same, but the delivery is different. And it's only by being in his presence, on his territory, that you start to appreciate that he truly means and truly believes what he says.

O'Brien can sometimes be an easy target. Who amongst us hasn't, at some point or another, mimicked the copybook O'Brien post-race interview, whether it's the July Cup hyperbole or the well-honed line in undeserving self-blame. But mockery assumes ignorance, when O'Brien is all too aware of how he comes across, going as far as joking about it, which can only be done with a underlying confidence in your ability to do your job, the sort of confidence that comes from well over 200 Group 1 wins worldwide amongst all that Ballydoyle has achieved, despite what he says - 'I don't think I've really achieved that much.'

It's only on the drive there that you really get it; the perspective of what they're achieving and the appreciation for how they're doing it. Here we are in rural Ireland, and tucked away in amongst the stereotypical scene of fields and farms is a powerbase from which virtually every move reverberates around the thoroughbred world. It's a racing stable like any other in respect of its aims, but the scale, standards, stock and successes make it remarkable. The same, but different.

Australia is the same, but different. The script is the same as we've heard from O'Brien in the past, but it's with conviction that he promises us that this colt is different. 'The reality is we've never had a horse like this,' he says, recounting a tale from some of his early work: 'I remember my phone started ringing and the lads looking at all the information said 'did you see Australia's times this morning?' - he did four 11-second furlongs, one after the other, and he'd be pulling up and he'd be yawning.'

Aidan O'Brien hailing a wonderhorse from his homework engenders a strong sense of déjà vu, as he admits himself with a knowing smile, and one fact to make you wonder about this wonderhorse is that he's been beaten twice already, including in the Guineas, though put in context, fleshed out by O'Brien, it was a big performance by Australia at Newmarket.

'The first thing is that it was a lot better race than Camelot's Guineas. It was a strongly-run race and he was cruising along. Joseph knew at halfway that the other side were in front, so he had to make his move when he did.'

Then there was what went on before, for Australia and the string in general. 'It's been a bit of a struggle; it just hasn't been as straightforward this year. Six weeks before the Guineas, Australia got a cough. As soon as Australia stopped, everything else started, and it went right through the place. The easy thing to have done was to shut down and not race, but if we did that we'd never have a chance at the classics, which are vital to us.

'We had to train more gently, more cautiously and just try to push through it, but keep them at a pitch. We know where we want to get to, but the road has been longer this season, with a few stop-offs, and we couldn't lean on them as we otherwise might.'

The adversities of the run of the race, and his build-up in line with the whole Ballydoyle team, put an altogether better spin on Australia's effort in the Guineas, where his speed was the feature, not really a case of like father like son: 'His stride is Galileo's, but for a Galileo to be doing what he's done and showing the speed he has - that's what makes him different.' The same, but different.

Would Australia's raw power and speed leave any niggling doubts in O'Brien's mind about him staying the Derby distance? 'Put it this way, I'd rather him show the speed than not show it. He's bred to stay the trip real well. I'd be surprised if he didn't stay, wouldn't you? Unless I make a total hash of it.'

With good reason, Australia's reversal at Newmarket hasn't dented faith or confidence in the horse. 'What makes everybody better is failure, right?' You got the feeling that O'Brien was referring as much to himself as Australia in that philisophical statement, but he was talking outright about Geoffrey Chaucer when he said: 'You're happy to get beat if you learn something, but we learned nothing there.'

He'll still go to Epsom, as will Chester winners Orchestra and Kingfisher, but Australia is the one. He's something different, mark his words.