AIDAN O’BRIEN’S Rip Van Winkle has been the subject of a monster gamble for the Derby at Epsom this day fortnight. The Galileo colt finished a close-up fourth on his seasonal reappearance in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month, but has still to tackle more than a mile.

Guineas winner Sea The Stars and Rip Van Winkle’s stablemate Fame And Glory are still towards the head of the market, but yesterday’s support has led some bookmakers to believe Rip Van Winkle could be the number one hope for Ballydoyle.

Blue Square now go as short as 6 to 1 from 10 to 1 about his Derby prospects, while Paddy Power offer the same price from 8 to 1. William Hill offer 7 to 1, while Coral have slashed him to 11 to 2 from 11 to 1.

Coral spokesman Simon Clare said: “This is the most significant gamble on the Derby since we started betting 12 months ago, and it all points to Rip Van Winkle potentially being the Ballydoyle number one Derby contender.

“At the very least it suggests that Rip Van Winkle is in good shape and expected to run well, and as a result we have eased Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory to get more of them in the book.”