War Decree heads O’Brien’s hopes for a first French Derby

The French Derby remains the most glaring omission on Aidan O’Brien’s classic CV but he has three chances to fill the gap at Chantilly on Sunday.

In contrast Ryan Moore landed the €1.5 million Prix Du Jockey Club in 2014 on The Grey Gatsby and he will be aboard the Ballydoyle number one War Decree this time.

The War Front colt failed to fire in April’s Craven Stakes but is preferred by Moore to Orderofthegarter (Seamus Heffernan) and Taj Mahal (Donnacha O’Brien) for a race due off at 3.15 Irish-time.

It’s 20 years since O’Brien first tried to land France’s premier classic and Highland Reel (victorious at Epsom yesterday) is the closest he has got to success when runner-up to New Bay in 2015.

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Brametot won the French Guineas last month and has got the inside draw in stall one while Andre Fabre also has three chances including Waldgeist.

War Decree is in box eight, next to Orderofthegarter, and Oliver Peslier’s mount Recoletos is widest of all in 12.

The only other major classic O’Brien has yet to win is the French Oaks and given he had a 1-2-3 in last October’s Arc at the track he will hope his Chantilly luck could be about to change.

However given the manner in which he won the Prix Greffulhe from Waldgeist, Recoletos’s wide-draw may not be as significant a factor as it usually is.

The Whipper colt has been supplemented into the race and Peslier is likely to ride him for what looked a devastating finishing kick at Saint-Cloud.

Irish hopes on the Chantilly card will also be carried in the Group Two Prix Du Gros-Chene (4.40) by the Darren Bunyan-trained Hit The Bid with Leigh Roche on board.

Roche is on duty for Dermot Weld at Navan on Saturday where he rides Haripour, a half brother to last year's Derby hero Harzand, in a maiden. Steel Prince looks his danger.