Dr Johnson, runner-up to Desert King in the Budweiser Irish Derby, and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Ashley Park are both due to return to action in 1998, Charles O'Brien revealed yesterday.

Dr Johnson won four of his six starts in 1997 and was second in the other two, but hopes for the St Leger were dashed by injury 10 days before the race.

"He basically struck into himself somehow on his off-fore," the trainer explained.

"It was nothing very serious, but it meant that we'd run out of time to get him back before the end of the season. I don't want to down the St Leger winner, but he could have gone very close."

Dr Johnson will be aimed at the top races next season - "anything from 10 furlongs upwards" - and that could involve plenty of travel outside Ireland.

He has not run on top of the ground yet, but O'Brien says: "That's just the way it's worked out.

"To be honest, I always thought he wanted quite good ground. He ended up handling soft ground much better than I thought he would."

A second O'Brien contender for middle distance honours next season will be Ashley Park, who looked a Derby horse when he overcame trouble in running to win his trial at Leopardstown in May.

By the end of June, though, as O'Brien explained: "He was out in the field at the time on a bit of "R & R". At one stage it was touch and go which one was going for the Irish Derby.

"Then we decided to give Ashley Park the summer off and bring him back for the autumn which didn't exactly work out as planned. But the plan was always to keep him on in training."

Ashley Park's return to action in August was a disappointment, but his trainer reported: "He came back lame afterwards and had pulled a muscle behind, somewhere in the course of the race. He wasn't fully wound up for it anyway, but there had to be something amiss and that put paid to him for the season."

David Bridgwater has been asked to ride the Champion Hurdle hope I'm Supposin all season, starting at Newbury on Saturday week.

He has been told he can partner all owner Nicholas Cooper's horses this season.