York’s Dante Stakes on Thursday looks increasingly likely to provide the Derby clues that have so far been notable by their scarcity, following the news that Aidan O’Brien is considering running two leading Epsom contenders in this week’s trial. The Irish trainer won the Derby Trial here on Saturday with Kilimanjaro but the grey remains a 33-1 shot for next month’s Classic with some firms and it seems unlikely that this effort will take him to the top of the tree at Ballydoyle.
Kilimanjaro carried the second colours of the owner Michael Tabor, one of the partners in Coolmore and therefore O’Brien’s employer, as Tabor also had the 2-5 favourite, Christophermarlowe, in this race. That colt, trained in Newmarket by John Gosden, had won a trial at Epsom but looked short of pace in so doing and was rather a ponderous third under Frankie Dettori here, failing even to reel in the 14-1 shot Magic Dancer, who set the pace and finished second. Gosden blamed the good to soft going and may yet send Christophermarlowe back to Epsom.
Ryan Moore, aboard the winner, ducked a question about whether Kilimanjaro might be good enough for the Derby. “He had a lot to do, turning for home, but he just kept steadily picking up and, when he got to the front, he was just a little bit idle there,” the jockey said.
“I’ve been real happy with him, he’s got a good attitude. He only won a maiden a couple of weeks ago and this has all happened quite fast but he’s a nice, progressive horse and I think he’d have a good year.”
O’Brien was not present, so clues as to the thoughts from the Ballydoyle camp came from Paul Smith, whose father is one of the Coolmore partners.
“He’s got a very nice attitude and he’d have to be in the Derby picture now,” Smith said of Kilimanjaro. “He seems honest. He’s a trier, which is important.”
Kevin Buckley, who represents Coolmore in the UK, added that O’Brien was expected to run both John F Kennedy and Ol’ Man River in the Dante. John F Kennedy was the Derby favourite until a most unexpected defeat last month but he remains third in bookmakers’ lists at 10-1 and has clear potential to make himself popular once more with a good run this week, though Buckley said he would skip York if the ground were too soft.
Ol’ Man River was fancied for the 2,000 Guineas last weekend but finished tailed off under Joseph O’Brien. “Joseph just didn’t get a feel from him,” Buckley explained. “We all like the horse and we were feeling fairly confident that he would run a good race but Joseph, to be fair, did exactly the right thing and just sat on him and eased him down. I believe he’s come out of the race OK, so we’ll take a look [at the Dante].”
Jack Hobbs and Elm Park, the first two in the Derby betting, may also line up at York on Thursday, in which case the race would be odds-on to determine which horse will start favourite for the Classic. But O’Brien may still hold out hopes for another couple of horses who run today, Highland Reel in the French Guineas and Order Of St George in Leopardstown’s Derby Trial.
O’Brien also has two of the first three in the betting on the Oaks, a situation that was undisturbed by the Oaks Trial here, won by Toujours L’Amour, who has not even been entered for the fillies’ Classic and would need to be supplemented at a cost of £30,000, twice what she won here. “I’d be surprised if we went for the Oaks but you never know,” said William Haggas, her trainer. “It’s not my decision, because I don’t have to pay. If I had to pay it would be a no, but, as I don’t have to pay, it could be a yes.”
At Ascot, Jamie Spencer justified his decision to return from retirement when landing the Victoria Cup on Speculative Bid, pouncing late after one of the hold-up rides which punters have come to expect from him.
• This article was amended on 13 May 2015. An earlier version said that O’Brien has the first three in the betting on the Oaks, rather than two of the first three.
