Eagle Mountain will lead a powerful squad from Aidan O'Brien's yard into Sunday's Budweiser Irish Derby as the champion trainer aims to bring off a unique international Derby-double.
O'Brien is likely to have four runners in Ireland's richest race, which he has won on four previous occasions.
The Epsom runner-up Eagle Mountain has been installed a heavy odds-on favourite by ante-post bookmakers for the Curragh.
However, O'Brien will also be breaking new ground in Germany on the same afternoon as Anton Chekhov is set to fly the Ballydoyle flag in the German Derby in Hamburg.
Colm O'Donoghue will team up with the Group Two-winning colt in the 138th running of the BMW Deutsches Derby, which is also run over a mile and a half.
Yesterday, O'Brien indicated that four of the five entries he has left among the 12 horses that remain in the last edition of the Irish Derby are likely runners.
Eagle Mountain, immediately installed an 8 to 11 favourite by Paddy Power to go one better than his second to Authorized earlier this month, is set to be joined by Soldier Of Fortune, Spanish Harlem and Alexander Of Hales.
The fifth O'Brien entry, Yellowstone, could wait for the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp a fortnight later.
As expected, Sheikh Mohammed has paid out €150,000 to supplement last Friday's King Edward VII Stakes winner, Boscobel, into the race and he could be joined by two other British cross-channel raiders, the Royal Ascot runner up Al Shemali and Striving Storm who was second to Regime in the Sandown Classic Trial last April.
"He is very well, in great shape, and I'm very pleased with him," said Boscobel's trainer Mark Johnston yesterday.
"I'm quite amazed how he has come out of Ascot."
However, it is the two French raiders who some bookmakers believe will be the biggest threat to Eagle Mountain supplying O'Brien and jockey Kieren Fallon with back-to-back victories in the €1.5 million highlight after Dylan Thomas last year. Shamdinan, third in the Prix du Jockey Club, is expected to improve for the step up to a mile and a half and the Aga Khan-owned colt will again be ridden by Christophe Soumillon.
Johnny Murtagh will team up with the Andre Fabre-trained Royal And Regal, a Listed winner on his last start, who was beaten by Anton Chekhov at Longchamp earlier this season.
The home team is completed by the Dermot Weld-trained Prince Erik and also by the Ballysax winner Mores Wells who will attempt to secure a first Derby triumph for the veteran local trainer Kevin Prendergast.
The impressive Coventry Stakes winner, and ante-post 2,000 Guineas favourite, Henrythenavigator, is one of six Aidan O'Brien horses among the nine-strong entry for the main Sunday support, the Group Two Railway Stakes.
Stars of the calibre of George Washington and Holy Roman Emperor have won the six-furlong event for O'Brien, but the indications yesterday were that Henrythenavigator may skip the race.
Tax Free and Benbaun are among a strong collection of British-trained sprinters remaining in the Bud Light Stakes over five furlongs.
Paddy Power's Irish Derby betting: 8-11 Eagle Mountain, 7 Royal And Regal and Shamdinan, 8 Boscobel and Soldier Of Fortune, 12 Mores Wells, 20 bar.
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