With the 2,000 Guineas already secured, Aidan O’Brien now sets his sights on yet more Derby glory and could test many of his ‘blue-riband’ candidates in each of the next five days leading up to John F Kennedy’s attempt to retrieve his reputation at Leopardstown on Sunday.
The winter Derby favourite fluffed his lines in major fashion in last month’s Ballysax Stakes and could again clash with the surprise winner of that race, Success Days, in the Group Three Derrinstown Derby Trial.
O’Brien has indicated ground conditions will be immaterial to the colt’s appearance – “he needs to go” – but with the going at Leopardstown currently “heavy”, that could be enough to rule out Dermot Weld’s big Derby hope Zawraq who is currently a general 7-1 second-favourite for Epsom.
The John Gosden-trained Jack Hobbs currently tops the Derby betting but John F Kennedy is among a small squad of Ballydoyle colts towards the top of the Epsom market and many of them are set to test their credentials this week.
Runner-up
Sir Isaac Newton appears in a maiden at Chester today but is already as low as 10/1 for Europe’s premier classic having finished runner-up to Zawarq as a juvenile last year.
“He’s a horse we’ve always thought a lot of but he has a lot to learn in a short space of time if he’s going to be a classic horse,” O’Brien reported.
“We always feel they learn a lot in Chester and he could come back to an Irish Guineas if we needed him – Magician did that.”
Contender
Ireland’s champion trainer also runs the filly Diamondandrubies in today’s Cheshire Oaks but tomorrow Hans Holbein takes his chance in the Chester Vase, while Smuggler’s Cove is a contender for Friday’s Dee Stakes.
Over the weekend the Derby outsider Order Of St George could line up in Saturday’s Lingfield Trial, while also on Sunday the Ballydoyle focus will be on Longchamp where Highland Reel (14/1 for Epsom) will tackle the French 2,000 Guineas on a card which also features the Group Two Prix Hocquart.
A total of eight O’Brien-trained entries still remain in that traditional trial, including Ol’ Man River and Giovanni Canaletto (both 16/1 for Epsom,) although next week’s Dante, and a clash with Jack Hobbs, appears the favoured option with Ol’ Man River.
Declaration stage
Sunday’s Leopardstown card will feature two other Group Three contests, including the Ard Glen Amethyst Stakes which includes the Group One star Gordon Lord Byron among 19 left in after the five-day declaration stage.
Dermot Weld has left in Monday's Mooresbridge Stakes winner Fascinating Rock for a race he has won in four of the last five years, including three in a row for Famous Name (2010-12).
Weld’s Stormfly is set to try to make it three out of three this season in the 1,000 Guineas Trial, for which there are 16 other hopefuls, including the potential cross-channel raider Irish Rookie, sixth to Legatissimo in Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
