US Army Ranger gets big thumbs-up for Derby

“There he is now, the second horse, he’s still just asleep. And he’ll be let sleep away for the next week, and then his preparation will start – big time,” says Aidan O’Brien, as he points towards unbeaten colt US Army Ranger doing some routine work on the gallops.

Through reputation, and loosely based on victory in a Curragh maiden, the Galileo colt became favourite for next month’s English Derby and, just as quickly, lost that distinction, despite being successful in his trial at Chester.

It is something which bemuses his trainer, who admits to have come away from that race happy that his charge remains on course for Epsom.