Derby favourite faces four on Sunday

Yeats will have just four rivals in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday as he bids to cement his position as Vodafone Derby favourite.

Aidan O’Brien will be hoping the colt will give the Ballydoyle stable a timely boost after disappointing displays in the past week by One Cool Cat (2000 Guineas), Necklace (1000 Guineas) and Brian Boru.

Yeats, unbeaten in two starts, is following the same route to the Epsom Classic as O’Brien’s Galileo (2001) and High Chaparral (2002), who both the Ballysax Stakes and the Derrinstown before going on to success in the blue riband.

Yeats enjoyed a facile success in the three-runner Group Three Ballysax over Sunday’s course and distance last month, winning by 10 lengths and 14 lengths.

The Sadler’s Wells colt is 9-4 favourite with Ladbrokes to give O’Brien his third Derby triumph in four years.

John Oxx, who saddled Sinndar to complete the Derrinstown/Derby double in 2000, took last year’s trial with Epsom third and subsequent Irish Derby hero Alamshar.

He relies on Barati this time, having supplemented the recent Curragh maiden winner for €13,000.

Dermot Weld is double-handed with Relaxed Gesture and Medicinal, while the line-up is completed by the Charles O’Brien-trained Lord Admiral.

The main supporting race is the Group Three Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial over seven furlongs in which O’Brien’s Lucky, winner of both her starts this term, heads a field of nine.