Newmarket, England For years, top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien was absent on World Cup night, but that policy has changed, and it has changed quite dramatically.

O’Brien saddled St Nicholas Abbey to win last year’s Sheema Classic (G1), on a day the big stable was also successful with Lines Of Battle in the UAE Derby (G2). The master of Ballydoyle is looking for the same double this year, as Magician runs in the Sheema and Giovanni Boldini goes for the classic.

In addition, O’Brien has Ruler Of The World in the Dubai World Cup (G1). Could he pull off a historic treble? Not impossible.

Giovanni Boldini, who has a similar profile to that of Lines Of Battle — only seems a good notch better than that colt was — holds strong credentials in the Derby, while Magician must have a big chance in the Sheema Classic.

True, he will be facing solid older horses like Cirrus des Aigles, Gentildonna and Dunaden, but, while those three may all have lost a step or two recently, Magician is very much an improving sort.

He impressed with two top class wins as a three-year-old, taking the Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1) over a straight mile at The Curragh in May and the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) over a turning mile and a half trip at Santa Anita in California in the autumn.

Having won two such different championship races already, in a career that has barely got going, Magician does seem a bit special.

He looked all class, travelling strongly throughout in the Guineas, having won easily on his seasonal debut at Chester in England, and quickened right away at the finish to win by three-and-a-half lengths from his stable companion Gale Force Ten, who franked the form by capturing the Jersey Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot next time out.

Magician was also shipped to Ascot but disappointed badly when finishing last of nine behind Dawn Approach in the one-mile St James’s Palace Stakes (G1). It was a day best forgotten for those closest to Magician. For whatever reason, he just never fired at the Queen’s course.

The son of Galileo was given a long break after Ascot, and not seen on a racecourse again until early November. His comeback task was not exactly in a soft spot, as he went for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

Not only was he back from a layoff and stepping up to one-and-a-half miles for the first time, he was also facing older horses for the first time. Magician beat them all, and he beat them in style, coming with a strong finish to pass the favourite, English wonder girl The Fugue (who runs in the World Cup).

Perfectly ridden by Ryan Moore, Magician beat her readily by half a length. The Fugue was not at her absolute best that day, but Magician won the BC Turf in a way suggesting there is more to come.

If he runs like that again at Meydan, well, then another Group One win is the most likely outcome.

— The author is a UK-based racing expert and the editor of www.globeform.com