By Tom Frary
Aidan O'Brien will saddle seven of the 13 runners in Saturday's G1 Investec Derby at Epsom, with the likely favourite and 'TDN Rising Star' Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) joined by fellow trial winners Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sir Dragonet was handed the outside stall in 13, which will be much more favourably received than the one draw given to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) 12 months ago, while Broome is in eight and Anthony Van Dyck in seven. Cape of Good Hope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is off to Chantilly for the following day's G1 Prix du Jockey Club along with the other withdrawal, the Roger Varian-trained G2 Dante S. third Surfman (GB) (Kingman {GB}).
The supplemented May 16 Dante winner Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) will break from stall two, which is far from ideal given that the lowest-drawn winner in the past 10 runnings was Sea the Stars (Ire) who had stall four in 2009. That misfortune was not lost on Oisin Murphy on Thursday as he said, “We're drawn in two and everyone would like a higher draw, but that's the card we've been dealt,” he said. “He's obviously come out of the Dante really well and we're excited. On Monday, he felt in really good order and has not lost much weight since the Dante. Hughie [Morrison]'s pleased, so it's all systems go.”
King Power Racing's Apr. 26 G3 Sandown Classic Trial scorer Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) will emerge from stall 12 as the other leading home-trained protagonist alongside Telecaster. Godolphin's Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), fitted with cheekpieces following his disappointing seventh in the Dante, will break from the hoodoo stall one.
As expected, Ryan Moore has sided with Sir Dragonet, with Donnacha O'Brien on Broome and Seamie Heffernan on Anthony Van Dyck. Frankie Dettori has received the call-up for the Listed Dee S. scorer Circus Maximus and Jamie Spencer is on the G3 Chester Vase runner-up Norway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The dual G1 1000 Guineas-winning rider Wayne Lordan has the leg up on last year's G2 Beresford S. winner Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).
Dettori, who partnered Scorpion (Ire) to win the G1 St Leger for Ballydoyle in 2005 and also the stable's Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to be third in the memorable Arc of 2016, said of Circus Maximus, “He looks like a horse who is a bit lazy. He's never going to be flash. I spoke to Aidan O'Brien this morning and the horse will wear cheekpieces just to sharpen him up a little bit because he is very laid-back. One thing we do know is that he stays really well and if you look at his Autumn S. form, he is red hot with Magna Grecia and Phoenix of Spain. The race does looks wide-open. You can make a case about most of the runners, but I am pleased with mine who will most definitely stay the trip.”
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