Coolmore Stud and its racing stable Ballydoyle have issued upbeat bulletins for Group 1 winners Camelot, Kingsbarns and St Nicholas Abbey.

Camelot (Montjeu) was the subject of retirement rumours after his last-start loss in the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot but trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed the four year-old is in good order after a break.

The G1 Juddmonte International at York on August 21 and G1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on September 7 are on the radar.

Camelot claimed the Cartier 3YO Colt Award last year after emulating Nijinsky with G1 wins in the English 2000 Guineas and the English – Irish Derbies.

Ballydoyle’s G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Kingsbarns could return as early as next Saturday (August 11) in the G2 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh.  “He’s moving great and could be exciting if he comes back,” O’Brien said.  “He could turn up at the Curragh or go straight to Leopardstown for the Irish Champion.”

Kingsbarns (Galileo) was bred by O’Brien’s wife Ann-Marie.  “He has an unbelievable cruise,” the trainer said.  “He won his maiden at Navan very easily and then came through the Racing Post with flying colours.”

St Nicholas Abbey is continuing to progress after major operations for a fractured pastern and colic which ended his racing career.

“It’s a day-to-day thing with him,” O’Brien said.  “He’s had two massive surgeries and so far, so good.  Hopefully everything keeps going well.  He’s a magic horse.”

St Nicholas Abbey (Montjeu) won 6 Group 1 events including the last three editions of the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs and a stud career awaits if he pulls through.  Other life-threatening complications may yet arise including laminitis, surgery site infection and failure of the implants in the repaired fracture.

His sire Montjeu succumbed to septicemia aged 16 at Coolmore Stud last year.