RACING: High Chaparral's apparent dominance of the 2002 Budweiser Irish Derby is such that questions about his SP are becoming more plentiful than questions about him actually winning.
El Gran Senor's 1984 defeat of Rainbow Quest at 2 to 7 resulted in him being the shortest-priced winner in over half a century. But High Chaparral could be an even meaner dividend.
"He is 2 to 7 at the moment and could go even shorter. High Chaparral is a distance clear on the ratings and unless there are some bad vibes I can't see him being better," said a Paddy Power spokesman yesterday.
The bad vibe hope for High Chaparral's opposition is that three of Aidan O'Brien's horses were taken out of a race in France last weekend due to a negative blood count.
However, the young trainer, in line for a third Irish Derby success, was dispensing only positive, if typically careful, vibes yesterday.
"So far all seems fine with the horses here and I think they're all good," he said. "High Chaparral is in good form but obviously every race has to be won. There are always dangers." A total of three other runners among the nine -strong field means that the Ballydoyle camp dominate Ireland's premier classic to an even greater extent than last year.
Galileo completed the Epsom-Curragh double in style then and now High Chapparal will bid to become the 13th colt since 1970 to complete the famous double.
In 1970 it was the legendary Nijinsky who won, and at a comparatively generous 4 to 11 at that. But it is not hard to see why the bookies are being stingy.
High Chaparral was a totally convincing victor at Epsom when he looked to have Hawk Wing's measure at the two-furlong pole and then extended it to the line.
The market believes his prime dangers now are an admittedly promising maiden that he has already beaten and a King Edward VII winner from just eight days ago.
Balakheri is following the same Royal Ascot route that Michael Stoute followed with Shareef Dancer in 1983 but his improvement will have to be colossal to emulate that Derby winner.
In Time's Eye, named after a former column in The Irish Times, has finished runner-up in both his career starts but remains a colt of some promise.
Dermot Weld reports improvement in the horse since he met High Chaparral in the Derrinstown Trial but is realistic about the task in hand.
"High Chaparral has probably improved about 7lb since then, and since he was giving seven on the day, that means we have to improve 14lb. I don't know if we have improved enough," he said.
A truly fast surface would suit In Time's Eye probably more than the favourite but that is not going to happen, with the Curragh reporting "good " going last night.
Of the others, High Chaparral's stablemate Ballingarry has attracted each-way support and may emerge best of the O'Brien backup. "Kieren Fallon said he was unlucky in the Italian Derby and we know he stays the mile and a half," said O'Brien.
"Della Francesca, we are not sure about him staying but he looks like he might and the same can be said for Sholokov, who has had only one run this year.
"Sholokov is not a pacemaker. He is there on his merits. He is a Group One winner and he was only beaten two lengths by Hawk Wing last year." Both the Weld and Stoute camps have their own backups but this Derby looks all about one horse.
Bookmakers yesterday were betting 7 to 1 about High Chaparral finishing outside the first three. In the circumstances, it was enough to make the likely SP look almost attractive.
Last year's Railway Stakes saw Rock Of Gibralter beat Hawk Wing in a vintage renewal. This time the O'Brien runner is Hold That Tiger." He ran a bit green the first day he ran at Leopardstown and we think he learned a good bit from that," O'Brien reported.
Hold That Tiger's danger is the Coventry runner-up Pakhoes, while the Ascot third, Agnetha could be the one for the opener.
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