O’Brien relishing ‘ultimate test’ for Australia
O’Brien and his father, Aidan, became the first father-son combination to win the Classic in 2012 with Camelot, and Guineas third Australia heads a four-strong team from Ballydoyle on Saturday.
Paddy Power had eased Australia to a best-priced 5-4 but O’Brien jnr said: “I’m really looking forward to it. Ever since he came into the yard and started working he’s always been a good horse.
“He’s bred to stay the trip, bred to handle the track and bred to win the Derby which is what you need going to Epsom. It’s the ultimate test of a racehorse.
“You need to have a horse with pace, balance and that will get the trip. It’s a funny track to ride at times, with Tattenham Corner and all the different things running down into the straight, it’s the ultimate test of horse and rider. It’s the race every jockey wants to win.
“He’s got plenty of pace, hopefully he’ll get the trip but it’s an unknown, his mum and dad handled the track well. We’re looking forward to it.”
The bookmaker reported a couple of weeks ago that “a racing insider told our representative at Sandown that Geoffrey Chaucer absolutely smashed Australia in a Ballydoyle gallop” and the firm are not repenting.
Paddy Power said: “Pundits have yawned and called us ‘the grandmasters of PR flim-flam’ about our statement on the possible merits of Australia and Geoffrey Chaucer.
“But we’re happy to put our money where our mouth is and take on the ’jolly’, especially when Aidan is employing the scattergun approach of four runners.”
Oisin Murphy will have his first Derby ride as Ed Dunlop has booked the apprentice of the moment for Red Galileo.
He will warm up for that mount aboard the William Knight-trained course specialist Beacon Lady in the Investec Coronation Cup.
Red Galileo had some promising two-year-old form but has been fairly well beaten in the Sandown Classic Trial and Lingfield Derby Trial.
Beacon Lady was supplemented into the field and shows by far her best form at Brighton and Epsom, where she bolted up in the Great Metropolitan Handicap at the April meeting.
Kevin Manning has been confirmed for the ride aboard Godolphin runner Sudden Wonder.
The Charlie Appleby-trained colt finished third in the Lingfield Derby Trial and is one of three possible runners for Godolphin along with Appleby’s Pinzolo and Saeed bin Suroor’s True Story.
Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “I am very happy with Sudden Wonder’s preparation to date and confident he will put up a big performance in the Investec Derby.”
Appleby has yet to make a decision about his other entry.
William Buick confirmed he has chosen Sandown Classic Trial winner Western Hymn over the fellow John Gosden-trained runner Romsdal.
Buick told his At The Races blog: “This was a very hard decision to make because Romsdal is emerging as a very serious horse which is why he was supplemented on Monday.
“His run in the Chester Vase was excellent and he would have won that in another stride instead of going down by a nose – and he is on the upgrade.
“But I just couldn’t desert Western Hymn. He excited me when he won his first race of the season at Newbury and he showed a lot of courage on bad ground at Sandown to win the Classic Trial.
“A lot has been made of his habit of looking about him, but it’s just a characteristic and it’s never stopped him going forward.
“He went to Epsom last Thursday and showed he can handle the undulations and after I gave him a nice spin over seven and a half furlongs on the Al Bahathri this morning, it made my mind up. I hope I’ve called it right.”
