RACING IRISH DERBY:SEA THE Stars may be a heavy odds-on favourite to complete a rare Classic treble in Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, but Fame And Glory is set to lead a hugely powerful Aidan O'Brien team to the Curragh in an attempt to stop him.
O’Brien has a remarkable 10 of the 17 entries left in Ireland’s premier Classic after yesterday’s forfeit stage, which guarantees a rare all-Irish renewal of the €1.5 million Derby.
With watering continuing at headquarters to maintain the good to firm ground, Paddy Power have installed Sea The Stars as a 4 to 6 favourite to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to complete a Classic hat-trick of the Newmarket Guineas, Epsom Derby and Irish Derby.
However, despite an authoritative success for Sea The Stars at Epsom, O’Brien yesterday confirmed that the runner-up, Fame And Glory, Masterofthehorse, who finished third, and the fifth, Golden Sword, will again take on John Oxx’s superstar colt. “The Epsom horses will run obviously, but we won’t know about exact numbers until closer to the time,” the champion trainer said.
“Rockhampton ran at Ascot last week over a trip that was probably too short and Drumbeat ran in the French Derby. He hasn’t run at a mile and a half yet but he might like a step up.”
Other O’Brien entries include the beaten Hampton Court Stakes favourite Freemantle, Hail Caesar and Malibu Bay, who also holds an option in the Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday week.
Jockey plans haven’t been finalised either for a team that will attempt to secure O’Brien a seventh Irish Derby victory, although the trainer described Fame And Glory as “an obvious one” for stable jockey Johnny Murtagh.
“We have been happy with Fame And Glory since Epsom. Masterofthehorse ran a good race too and they finished well. The horses had been coming forward on the run-up to Epsom and they need to come forward again,” O’Brien said.
Ballydoyle’s tactics at Epsom came in for some criticism, with a relative lack of pace widely believed to have played into the hands of Sea The Stars. However, O’Brien said yesterday: “All anyone wants in any race is a sensible pace that’s fair to everyone.”
As expected, the Oxx team will also be represented on Sunday by the Aga Khan’s Mourayan, while another trainer doubly represented will be Jim Bolger, whose number one hope, Gan Amhras, disappointed at Epsom where jockey Kevin Manning reported he was unsuited by the track.
Gan Amhras is a 12 to 1 shot to score another Irish Derby for Bolger this weekend, while Kevin Prendergast’s Recharge is 16 to 1.
Sunday’s main support-event, the Group Two Netjets Railway Stakes, has been a Ballydoyle benefit for the last decade, with only Bolger’s Democratic Deficit in 2004 interrupting a run of success for O’Brien in the last 10 years.
The winner-roll includes such star names as George Washington, Rock Of Gibraltar and last year’s victor, Mastercraftsman.
This time O’Brien has three possibilities, including Alfred Nobel and Beethoven.
Other black type action at the Curragh on Sunday will include the Group Three Sapphire Stakes over five furlongs, which has attracted eight cross-seachannel trained entries, and alsothe Listed Celebration Stakes, whose list of possible runners includes the Derby entry, Ard Na Greine.
