Second Derby victory for Auguste Rodin?

Curragh, Sunday 2 July: Nine horses are under order today in the Irish Derby (4th race/16.40/1m Euro/2414m). Aidan O`Brien has won the classic 14 times and the champion trainer could round up through Auguste Rodin (Ryan Moore). The three-year-old showed his great talent in two Group successes last year. The Deep Impact son scored his biggest goal so far in the English Derby.

Auguste Rodin will be supported by Adelaide River (Seamie Heffernan), San Antonio (Wayne Lordan), Peking Opera (Tom Marquand) and Covent Garden (Declan McDonogh), but according to the trade press, they are only among the outsiders. White Birch (Dylan Browne McMonagle) and Sprewell (Shane Foley), who finished well behind the O`Brien protégé in third and fourth place at Epsom, are considered to have a chance of winning. Prior to that, the latter triumphed in superior fashion over Up And Under (Mike Sheeky) and Proud And Regal (Gavin Ryan) in the Derby Trial (Group 3). White Birch lost the Dante Stakes (Group 2) in York only after a hard fight.