O’Brien Derby plans still fluid
The peerless master of Ballydoyle, who has sent out Galileo and High Chaparral to win the last two runnings of Europe's richest race, has no less than 30 representatives left in this year's £1.2m contest.
But he hopes that the forthcoming series of trials will allow him to narrow down his options.
"Everything is very much up in the air," O'Brien said yesterday. "It's obviously going to be interesting to see what happens.
"Horses like Brian Boru, Alberto Giacometti, The Great Gatsby, Powerscourt, Catcher In The Rye, Roosevelt, Balestrini they are all possibles.
"Some of them will run in the Derrinstown Derby Trial and as it is the same day as the Prix Lupin we might split them up and let some go there.
"I was very pleased with Brian Boru's last piece of work at Leopardstown.
"One of the horses that was supposed to lead was a bit slowly away and took half a furlong to get the pace going but he quickened up all the way and was very comfortable at the line."
O'Brien will also consider the Derby for Hold That Tiger, currently the ante-post favourite for the Sagitta 2000 Guineas, the first Classic of the season, on Saturday week.
"He is working well and he is relaxing more, which is important," reported the trainer.
"He has stamina in his pedigree as well as speed and if he ran a big race in the Guineas it is well possible that Michael (Tabor) might want to go to Epsom with him.
"If he keeps relaxing in his races, he has every chance of getting a mile and a half."
Last year's winner High Chaparral could make his seasonal reappearance in the Vodafone Coronation Cup, 24 hours before his year-long reign as the Derby winner comes to an end.
A bruised shoulder has delayed the colt's return to action, but O'Brien said yesterday: "He is a bit better this morning and we will just have to see."
