Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Magician will miss the Saturday’s Epsom Derby, connections have announced. Despite positive noises about
the participation of the Michael Tabor colorbearer earlier this week, Aidan
O’Brien revealed that he will wait for the June 18 St James’s Palace at
Royal Ascot.
“We discussed plans for Magician and decided to wait a bit longer
before running him again,” O’Brien told the Racing Post. “The Derby comes only a week after
the Irish Guineas, and while he came out of his win at the Curragh very well, it
is a long season. We will train him for the St James’s Palace Stakes.”
Earlier, a
tweet from Coolmore had left him out of the equation, stating that the operation
would be represented by a quintet of challengers on Saturday in Battle of
Marengo, Festive Cheer, Flying the
Flag, Ruler of the World and Mars.
O’Brien later revealed riding arrangements, stating that
Joseph O’Brien will stay true to Battle of Marengo with Ryan Moore on Ruler of
the World, Richard Hughes on Mars, Seamie Heffernan on Festive Cheer and Colm
O’Donoghue on Flying the Flag.
“The plan is to have five runners in the Derby subject to all the horses
passing their routine tests before declaration time in the morning,” the
conditioner told the trade daily.
Frankie Dettori looks likely to ride at the Epsom Derby meeting after the
British Horseracing Authority announced that they will reinstate his license
immediately after France Galop give him the all-clear.
“We have contacted France Galop again (Wednesday), who have informed us that their medical committee’s decision
regarding Frankie Dettori’s fitness to ride will be taken before the weekend,” a
statement from the BHA read. “Upon receiving confirmation that he is fit to
ride, the BHA would grant Dettori with his license to ride in Britain. In normal
circumstances, we would be prepared to approve a substitution of a rider if a
jockey who was unavailable at the time of declarations subsequently becomes
available prior to the race.”
While there may be rides on the undercards of the
Oaks and Derby should the Italian be given the green light by the French rulers,
there will be no ride for Ballydoyle in the blue riband itself.
Trainer Andreas Wohler provided a positive report ahead of the historic bid
of Chopin in the Derby at
Epsom. Qatar Racing’s colt was supplemented at a fee
£75,000 on
Monday and will line up as the first German-trained runner in the blue riband.
“Chopin is very good and the best three-year-old by far in Germany,” his conditioner
said of the wide-margin
Dr Busch-Memorial winner. “His form is working out, as the horse who
was second to him last time was second in the German Guineas.
“We took him to Dusseldorf two weeks ago, which is the most undulating track in Germany, and he
handled it very well. Jamie Spencer rode him and said he wouldn’t be worried
about Epsom. He doesn’t mind what ground he has, but we believe he’s better on
softer, so we are happy it has rained. There is pressure as the first German
runner, but you have to keep it as normal as you can.”
For Wohler, the arrival
on Derby day will be a long-awaited return.
“I rode in a race at Epsom 28 years
ago, it was an amateur race and a great experience,” he added. “I tried to take
up the running going around Tattenham Corner, but we weren’t fast enough.”
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