Medallion Racing will be bidding for an immediate return on their Celeron (Mohaather) investment when the Michael O'Callaghan-trained colt lines out as one of the leading fancies for the G1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday. That recent buy-in represents a change in modus operandi for Medallion, the American-based syndicate that has become famous for its association with top-notch fillies like Porta Fortuna and Balantina. However, the success of the syndicate, according to racing manager Phillip Shelton, has allowed the ownership group to swoop for what they believe is a colt with serious upside. Shelton explained, “As we've had more success, our partnership has grown and the level of interest in high-class horses has also grown and we have a lot more people nowadays who are willing to jump in. We have enough people now where, if something like Celeron jumps up, we can send it out and say, 'hey, we think this could be a good opportunity.' “We have done a bunch of deals like that. We have one partner, Steve Weston, who graciously agreed to underwrite it and said for us to try and get some traction on it. We had it sold out basically within a couple of hours and then the question became 'could we actually go and get a deal done'.”He added, “Michael has been great to work with and we are very excited to have a horse with him. He's a trainer who is on the up and this looks a very good opportunity for Celeron to win a Group 1 race, which is very, very difficult to do. He has a lot of work to do – he's drawn out on the wing – but he appears to have a live chance.”Celeron has won two of his three starts for O'Callaghan, with his only blip coming when down the field in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Like Sunday's race favourite Sun Goddess, who bids to provide Aidan O'Brien with an unprecedented 18th success in the race, he arrives into the Group 1 contest off the back of a win. While Sun Goddess was oh-so impressive in winning the G2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh, Celeron was last seen beating Tribeca in the G2 Railway Stakes.Shelton said, “It's a big gamble and the really fun thing for us is that nobody takes a big enough piece to have massive exposure if it doesn't work out. If Celeron was a filly, we'd be jumping at the opportunity hand over fist, because she would have already had that locked in residual value. With colts, it's a little different but to have put ourselves in the position to have a chance of owning the only Group 1-winning two-year-old colt in Europe so far this season, it's very exciting. You'd have to think he'd be a leading choice in the Group 1 National Stakes back at the Curragh if he were to win on Sunday so there is a lot of potential upside. Hopefully we are all celebrating together on Sunday.” It would be only natural to suggest that, beyond Sunday, the Medallion partners will be dreaming of Breeders' Cup success with their highly-touted colt.Shelton concluded, “Obviously, we are an American-based partnership and the Breeders' Cup is our Royal Ascot. Every horse we buy, it starts with a Breeders' Cup dream and the reality is that the majority fall by the wayside for one reason or another. For me, when you watch Celeron finish out his races, he looks like a horse who will step up in distance in time but he seems to have enough speed to have a big shout over six furlongs in the Phoenix Stakes. “We will keep all of our options open and that will ultimately be Michael's call. We are hoping that he will be in the upper echelon of two-year-old colts this year and the upper echelon of three-year-old colts as well. We're relishing the opportunity on Sunday and hopefully build it from there.” Don't Underestimate Big Outsider Tribeca Says Robson AguiarRobson Aguiar: confident Tribeca will out-run his odds | TattersallsTribeca (Blue Point) may be a general 20-1 chance but his trainer Robson Aguiar, who has had a direct involvement with two of the past three winners – Power Blue in 2025 and Bucanero Fuerte in 2023 – of this race, has warned punters against ignoring his charge. The Amo Racing runner was three lengths behind Celeron in the Railway Stakes but Aguiar is confident that Tribeca will strip fitter from that experience.The trainer said, “I think Tribeca will run a very big race. He's a nice colt and he is improving. I think he will improve again after Sunday but he will out-run his price. I think he is capable of being involved.”Bucanero Fuerte, who was officially trained by Adrian Murray, provided Amo Racing with its breakthrough Group 1 win in this contest in 2023. Aguiar took over the licence late last year and has sent out 23 individual winners in Ireland in his own name. There has been Group success courtesy of Power Blue and Ballinea Star and Aguiar describes himself as happy with how his debut season has been progressing. He concluded, “The horses have been running well and I am happy. We have some very nice horses who still have not run so I am looking forward to the second half of the season.”The post Medallion Team Hoping “Big Gamble” On Celeron Pays Off In Phoenix Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.