Clare Balding, who hosted Thursday’s “Breakfast with the Stars” at Epsom,
attended by 300 media and Epsom Downs annual members, went to Ballydoyle on
Tuesday and interviewed Aidan O’Brien, who trains the top four in totesport’s
ante-post market for the June 5 Derby (Eng-G1).
The trainer indicated then that ST NICHOLAS ABBEY (Montjeu [Ire]) and MIDAS
TOUCH (Galileo [Ire]) are almost certain to run in the Derby, with JAN VERMEER (Montjeu
[Ire]) and CAPE BLANCO (Galileo [Ire]) possibles at the moment, with the latter
two having the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) on June 6, as the
alternative, but no firm decisions will be made until next week.
O’Brien retains faith in St Nicholas Abbey, who finished sixth when the
even-money favorite in the first British colts’ classic, the Two Thousand
Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket on May 1, despite Jan Vermeer being the
best-backed colt with totesport in recent days for the Derby.
Ireland’s champion trainer said: “They are all exciting horses. St Nicholas
Abbey was a very good two-year-old and the impressive winner of the Racing Post
Trophy (Eng-G1).
“Things did not work out for him in the Guineas. At the time our horses were
running a bit in and out, and he jumped, traveled a bit too strongly and got a
bump from Frankie’s (Dettori) horse after 50 yards and just went into top gear.
Johnny (Murtagh) just could not get him out of that gear. The whole thing was a
bit of a mess really.
“Jan Vermeer was very impressive (when winning last Sunday’s Gallinule S.
[Ire-G3]) at the Curragh and Johnny was very happy with him. Cape Blanco won
very easily on fast ground at York (in the May 13 Dante S. [Eng-G2]). He caught
the back of his heel and was very sore afterwards, but it was just a
superficial. He has been fine since.
“Midas Touch ran well to win the Derrinstown (Stud Derby) Trial ([Ire-G2] at
Leopardstown on May 9), and it was always intended to go to Epsom with him.
“The whole of Thoroughbred breeding is about the Derby. That is what
everybody wants to breed — the Derby winner.
“All these horses are bred, fed and reared to run in the race, and if they
come through the trials, it is very hard on the horse and its pedigree, plus the
owners and breeders, to say don’t run in the Derby.
“We all know that there is only one Epsom Derby a year and it is all about
the piece of timber (the winning post). We are in the lucky position this year
to have a nice team of horses and the French Derby is the following day.
“The lads will make that decision — that is what they run their whole
business on, winning those big races — and are entitled to split them up
whichever way they want after talking to me, Johnny and everybody else involved.
“In an ideal world, we would love to have pacemakers supplied by the Jockey
Club or the (Irish) Turf Club and they go an even pace and the field follows.
The race unfolds genuinely and everybody gets a fair run and the best horse
wins, leaving everybody happy. We are happy to get beat if the pace is even and
level.”
FAME AND GLORY (Montjeu [Ire]), runner-up to Sea the Stars in last year’s
Derby, is ante-post favorite with totesport for the June 4 Coronation Cup
(Eng-G1) at 7-4, with 2009 Oaks (Eng-G1) star SARISKA (Pivotal) a 2-1 chance.
“Fame and Glory met a great horse in last year’s Derby,” O’Brien observed.
“In an ideal world, we would have preferred an even stronger gallop that day. He
is a great horse and I am looking forward to him running in the Coronation Cup.”