Joseph O’Brien could be racking up the air miles with “exciting” new recruit Rogue Millennium this season.

The five-year-old mare was a star performer for Tom Clover last term, winning the Group Two Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot and finishing second to Tahiyra in Leopardstown’s Matron Stakes at elite level.

Having initially been snapped up for just 35,000gns by the Rogues Gallery syndicate, the daughter of Dubawi was sold for 1,650,000gns in December and will now be trained by O’Brien in County Kilkenny.

In a stable tour on Attheraces.com, her new handler said: “We are very happy with her. She looks great. Her training is all going smoothly, and she’s been impressing.

“She gives the impression that she’ll always appreciate better ground and she shows plenty of pace.

“We won’t be shy about travelling her and have a long list of potential options for her in America where we think the style of racing will suit her. She’s a very exciting prospect to have in the yard.”

O’Brien is also looking forward to Lumiere Rock’s four-year-old campaign, with a crack at his father Aidan’s dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin on the cards in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.

The Saxon Warrior filly was a Group Two victor in the Blandford Stakes at that track last season, as well as being placed in the Ribblesdale and the Prix de l’Opera before finishing off with a solid sixth behind Inspiral at the Breeders’ Cup.

“She had a busy campaign last season, but never let us down and kept improving,” said O’Brien.

“We all got a real thrill from her win in the Blandford Stakes, and it was great that her owner Michael O’Flynn was there on the day to enjoy it with us.

“We are looking at the Tattersalls Gold Cup as an early-season target and will drive on from there.”

Irish Cesarewitch winner Magellan Strait has already got off the mark in 2024 with a Dundalk triumph in January and may be heading to the UK in search of more success.

O’Brien added: “He’s a solid staying horse that gave us all a great day when springing a very pleasant surprise in the Irish Cesarewitch.

“He could be one for the Chester Cup. We’ll see what happens between now and then, but the Ascot Stakes or Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot would be options for him too.”

Last season’s Queen Alexandra Stakes star Dawn Rising went on to finish third in the Irish St Leger in the colours of JP McManus.

“At this stage, it looks likely that we’ll stick to the Flat with him,” said O’Brien. “He gave everyone a real thrill by winning at Royal Ascot last season and we’ll look to get him back to the Queen Alexandra Stakes again this year. He came back from a break in great shape and we’re looking forward to him.”

Al Riffa has not been seen since chasing home Ace Impact at Deauville last August but the 2022 National Stakes victor is very much on the comeback trail.

O’Brien declared: “We are delighted with him. He was always a tall, rangy horse and has filled out into a magnificent athlete now.

“We were very sweet on him for the Irish Champion Stakes, but a little issue the day before meant we couldn’t run. Everything has gone very smoothly with him this preparation and we are steadily stepping up his work.

“We are working him towards the Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp in late April. Longer term, I could see him stepping up to a mile and a half.

“He won a Group One over seven furlongs as a two-year-old and has never looked short of pace, but he has the most lovely, relaxed way of going and it will give him a great chance to carry his pace over further if we ask him to. I’d be very hopeful he can win another Group One.”

Among the three-year-olds at Owning Hill, Atlantic Coast is being aimed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas or the French equivalent, while Stromberg could take in a Derby trial.

Rogue Millennium will return to the scene of her finest hour on Saturday when she makes her final outing for Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The four-year-old has been a star performer for her trainer and ownership syndicate over the past two seasons having been purchased for the relatively inexpensive fee of 35,000 guineas in the autumn of 2021.

A consistent performer throughout her time in training with Clover, not only did she take connections to the Oaks after securing the handler’s first Listed success in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial, she also notched up a first Group winner for the trainer when prevailing in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the year.

That victory paved the way for Rogue Millennium to contest Group One events in her last three outings and with top-level black type secured when second to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Tahiyra in the Matron Stakes, connections head to British Champions Day for a shot to nothing at the QEII before Rogue Millennium likely heads to the sales ring in December.

“She will most likely head to the Sceptre sale (held during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale) and it will very likely be her last run for ourselves and The Rogues Gallery,” said Clover.

“She was our first Listed winner, our first Group winner and our first Royal Ascot winner and she has a lot of black type now and has run some fantastic races across Europe. She has just taken us on some memorable journeys.

“For the Rogues and all the different members, it has just been a terrific journey and it has been fantastic to give syndicate owners such big days and go and compete in all these big races against the top connections.

“Win, lose or draw, she has been terrific servant for us but it would be lovely if she could shape up well. It would be a shame to bow out after a disappointing run at Longchamp last time.”

That below-par performance in Paris came when racing over 10 furlongs in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.

However, she now returns to the course and distance over which she thrived when successful at the Royal meeting, with the Kremlin House handler taking plenty of encouragement from her effort against Tahiyra at Leopardstown in September.

Clover added: “She has worked very well at home, but it can be very hard to tell if fillies are over the top or not at this time of year. In terms of her home work, she seems really well and she looks well.

“We sort of felt she is a course-and-distance winner and she handled very soft ground at Longchamp (earlier in the season) and I think if having an extra 100 yards or a furlong, you could argue she was closing down Tahiyra in the Matron.

“If she could reproduce that run it would put her in with a shout of being near, which would be incredible for her owners.”

Danny Tudhope delivered Rogue Millennium with a perfectly-timed challenge to secure a popular success in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Winner of the Lingfield Oaks Trial last season, Tom Clover’s stable star had since been placed three times at Group-race level, most recently going down by half a length to Free Wind in the Middleton Stakes at York.

Despite having never previously run over a mile, members of The Rogues Gallery syndicate boldly supplemented her for this Group Two last week – as they had the Oaks at Epsom after her Lingfield success – and were handsomely rewarded in the Berkshire sunshine.

Rogue Millennium travelled strongly in midfield for much of the way before being unleashed inside the final furlong, where she picked up well to get up and beat long-time leader Random Harvest by a neck.

Prosperous Voyage and Jumbly finished third and fourth respectively.