Australia (above) remains firmly on course to lead Aidan O'Brien's attempt on a historic Epsom Derby hat-trick this Saturday.
The hot-favourite – acclaimed by the champion trainer as the best he’s ever had through his hands – will face a maximum of 16 opponents, including three stable-companions and two other Irish-trained hopes, Fascinating Rock and Ebanoran, all of which are bidding to become just the 18th Irish-trained winner of the world’s most coveted Classic.
No trainer has ever won the Derby in three successive years but after Camelot (2012) and Ruler Of The World last year, O’Brien appears to hold most of the aces after 17 were left in the race at yesterday’s five-day stage, including the supplemented Romsdal.
The John Gosden-trained colt was runner-up to O’Brien’s Orchestra in last month’s Chester Vase but he and every other Derby hopeful looks to have Australia to beat especially now that ground conditions look to be coming in favour of the Ballydoyle number one. The going at Epsom yesterday was verging on good and surprisingly, considering it was soft just last week, even the possibility of watering hasn’t been ruled out ahead of the weekend.
Unsettled weather
Up to 10mms of rain could reach the Epsom area on Wednesday in the midst of a generally unsettled weather outlook but clerk of course Andrew Cooper is intent on keeping his options open.
“The whole picture remains very unsettled and certainly either side of Wednesday we could see some showers. Thursday looks dry and there’s a mixed outlook for Friday – it looks a bit warmer but that could trigger off some shower activity,” he said yesterday.
“If Wednesday’s (rain) misses us altogether I think we would only be doing our job if we took stock on Thursday morning and saw whether anything was necessary or appropriate because our ultimate aim for this meeting is not to run the Derby on anything quicker than good to firm.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was good going. Even if we do get 5-10 mms of rain on Wednesday that could knock it back to the slow side in the short term. But this place dries out very quickly,” he added.
Bookmakers betting on the ground description for Derby day made "good" their favourite yesterday which is positive news for the Ballydoyle team who came within a whisker of a Derby hat-trick in 2003 when The Great Gatsby was runner-up to Kris Kin following victories in the previous two years for High Chaparral and Galileo.
This time they also have the second favourite Geoffrey Chaucer, Orchestra and the Dee Stakes winner Kingfisher as back-up to the favourite. With Joseph O'Brien on Australia, Ryan Moore is in line to pick up a valuable spare and Frankie Dettori could also join team-O'Brien for the big day.
For favouritism
O’Brien has half a dozen possibles for Friday’s Oaks, including Marvellous who is challenging for favouritism, while Epsom’s third Group One, Saturday’s Coronation Cup, will see Ruler Of The World attempt to win for the first time since last year’s Derby.
Aidan O'Brien won all three top-flight prizes in 2012, with Was in the Oaks and St Nicholas Abbey in the Coronation Cup preceding Camelot's Derby success.
Ruler Of The World’s task was made more difficult, however, with confirmation that the veteran French superstar, Cirrus Des Aigles, will take his chance on Saturday. Cirrus Des Agiles secured the fifth Group One of his illustrious career when beating Treve in the Prix d’Ispahan last month.
Trainer Corrine Barande-Barbe said yesterday: “We wouldn’t want the ground to be like a road but there is a bit of rain forecast and I think it should be fine.It has been the plan all year to go for the Coronation Cup, then the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and then the King George.”
