Highland Reel can have O’Brien dancing a Derby jig

AFP/ParisRecord breaking Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won numerous Epsom and Irish Derbies and can finally put the French version in his trophy cabinet today with Highland Reel at Chantilly. The 45-year-old—who has won the blue riband of Derbies the Epsom one five times including the last three editions and a staggering 11 Irish Derbies—saddles three of the 14 horse field for the 10th anniversary of the race since it was controversially shortened from the traditional Derby distance of 2400m (1 1/2miles) to just over 2100m. O’Brien has had a curates egg of a season thus-far, winning the English and Irish 2000 Guineas (1600m) with Gleaneagles, but his hopes of a fourth consecutive Epsom Derby have taken a battering with one after the other of his prospective runners failing in trials. But he says Highland Reel has come on well from his run in the French 2000 Guineas earlier this month where he failed to justify favouritism and finished sixth. “He came back in good shape after the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas),” said O’Brien. “Like Cape Clear Island (another of O’Brien’s runners and the choice of stable jockey Ryan Moore)he will prefer the good ground we are going to get on Sunday. “We are hoping and we believe that the extra distance in comparison to the Guineas will not be problem.” Nevertheless Highland Reel, who won the influential juvenile Group Two the Vintage Stakes last year and did not reappear till the French Guineas, faces some pretty tasty home opposition including unbeaten duo Silverware and Sumbal, trained by the relatively unknown Alain Couetil and young up and coming handler Francis Graffard respectively. Silverware is unbeaten in four races including two this term, and would be a rare victor of this race having begun his career with two wins at the unlikely venue of Pornichet more renowned for its summer resort status than turning out potential classic winners. However, an impressive win in the Group Three Prix la Force last time out has rightly earned him a tilt at the great prize where the winner picks up 857,000 euros ($935,000, £610,000). Couetil arrives boosted by the draw of the two barrier. “One of the bigger problems in this race is working your way through traffic,” said Couetil. “However, being drawn in 2 allows us to avoid such a conundrum especially at getting a good position from the break. “This should allow us to run on our merits.” Two others who appeal are New Bay and Karaktar trained by stellar veterans in Andre Fabre and Alain de Royer Dupre respectively. Fabre, who has surprisingly only won the race three times, saddles the lightly-raced New Bay, who put up an eye-catching performance last time out in finishing second in the French Guineas. “The impression he gave us in the Guineas is that he should get further easily,” said Saudi owner Prince Khaled Abdullah’s French racing manager Claude Beniada. De Royer Dupre by contrast has accrued six Derbies, four short of the all-time record held by Tom Jennings, and has the rider in form Christophe Soumillon, who has ridden 29 winners this month, on board the Aga Khan-owned Karaktar. “He comes in to the race on the back of two impressive wins, latterly in the Group Two Prix Noailles,” said de Royer Dupre. “He is, though, going up in class and will meet as a result a better category of horse.”