AIDAN O’Brien has outlined long-range plans for his high-class team of two-year-olds, which have been operating at close to a 33% strike rate in 2024, after Bedtime Story maintained her unbeaten record at Leopardstown on Thursday.

Speaking after the spectacular Chesham Stakes winner followed up in the Group 3 Jockey Club Of Turkey Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown, the Ballydoyle handler indicated he is eager to gradually step the Frankel filly up in class.

Her victory at odds of 1/16 is understood to be the shortest-priced winner O’Brien has ever trained, and the shortest-priced winner of an Irish group race on the flat at least this century.

O’Brien said: “I'm delighted with her, Ryan [Moore] was delighted with her and said he didn't open her up. He said she was very green and in an ideal world, he would have preferred the tempo to be quicker. He said he just came there and taught her. That's exactly what we came here for, for education. It's a great place to do it.

“Ryan said she's very pacey and classy - I'd say you couldn't go fast enough for her. To hear him saying that he never opened her up, that’s a good sign.

“Last year we came here with Ylang Ylang, made the running and mentally it did her a little bit of harm for the rest of the year. We had to go back and start again. That's why we let [runner-up] Exactly go along in front of her today. I thought if she was well, she might go for the Debutante at the Curragh on the way to the Moyglare Stakes.”

Whistlejacket aim

The Coolmore operation has some high-class headaches on the horizon as they attempt to spread out their leading juveniles through the coming months. Recent Group 2 July Stakes winner Whistlejacket is being readied for a tilt at the top level, while Railway Stakes scorer Henri Matisse is set to step up in trip.

Asked how he feels Bedtime Story compares with Albany Stakes heroine Fairy Godmother in terms of pace, O’Brien said: “I obviously haven’t worked them together. Fairy Godmother isn’t slow either, but I loved that Ryan said he didn’t open Bedtime Story up today. He says he was only in third gear. It’ll be interesting and we’ll all see together.

“We were thinking of going to the Phoenix Stakes or the Prix Morny with Fairy Godmother but Whistlejacket might take that slot now, so I won’t rush with her. If everything went well with Whistlejacket in the Phoenix, he might go back to the Morny after because he’s a real fast two-year-old.

“Henri Matisse is going to go to the Futurity Stakes on his way to the National Stakes. We’re going to go up to seven furlongs with him next.”

The form of Lake Victoria’s Curragh maiden win at the Irish Derby Festival was franked by runner-up Red Letter bolting up in a maiden at the same venue last weekend, while The Lion In Winter earned rave reviews from Timeform after his impressive debut success in a seven-furlong maiden on Irish Oaks day.

According to the ratings organisation, from each Derby winner that Aidan O’Brien has trained, only Galileo (107p) and City Of Troy (102p) held higher Timeform ratings at this stage of their career than the Sea The Stars colt, who was handed an introductory Timeform figure of 100p.

O’Brien said: “The Lion In Winter is in the Goffs Million. He might have a run before it, it could be the Futurity Stakes, but he just needs one run in between. We’ll see what happens.

“Lake Victoria will probably end up in the Moyglare Stakes, though she could end up in the Debutante on the way with Bedtime Story for experience.”

The Lion In Winter is already priced between 10/1 and 14/1 at the head of the market for the Betfred Derby.