RACING: IRISH DERBY:QUEEN ELIZABETH created plenty of headlines with her visit to Ireland last month and her star horse Carlton House is set to provoke more of the same on the run up to Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.
The first concrete steps on the road to what would be an historic attempt on an Irish classic by a runner owned by the queen was begun yesterday when Carlton House was one of just nine horses left in the €1.25 million highlight after the crucial forfeit stage.
He was immediately installed as low as 5 to 4 favourite by some bookmakers and his presence is a major boost for a premier classic that had otherwise looked like lacking some star pulling-power.
Carlton House could finish only third at Epsom in his attempt to complete the queen’s grand-slam of British classic races, a controversial result due to the Michael Stoute-trained colt meeting interference in running and losing a shoe in the closing stages.
The English monarch has already scored a French classic success with Highclere in the 1974 Prix De Diane but looks set to attempt to break her Group One duck in Ireland this weekend.
Carlton House could also be a significant winner for Stoute. It is 25 years since the legendary Newmarket trainer landed the third of his three Irish Derby victories with Shahrastani. It is 30 years since Shergar first won it for Stoute.
Paddy Power hasn’t hesitated to make Carlton House favourite for Sunday and the bookmaker said: “The likelihood that he is going to take part in the Irish Derby is creating a buzz around the race I’ve never known before. I could see punters really getting stuck in and possibly even going off odds-on.”
Aidan O’Brien, aiming for a sixth Irish Derby victory in a row, and a ninth in all, has four hopefuls but the highly-touted Recital is not amongst them. Instead the Irish Guineas winner Roderic O’Connor is a possible starter alongside the Epsom Derby runner-up Treasure Beach, Memphis Tennessee and Seville.
“We weren’t 100 per cent happy with Recital this morning so he will not run in the Derby,” O’Brien’s wife, Anne-Marie reported yesterday. “Roderic O’Connor will be left in the race and is a possible to run instead.”
Unlike his three stable companions, Roderic O’Connor went to Chantilly instead of Epsom earlier this month but finished out of the money in the French Derby.
Three local Curragh trainers are prepared to have a crack at the classic with Dermot Weld, a dual-Irish Derby winner in the past with Grey Swallow and Zagreb, leaving in the regally-bred Notable Graduate. Kevin Prendergast has left Dunboyne Express in the race and Paul Deegan could run Best Hello.
Sunday’s main supporting event is the Group Two Railway Stakes where last week’s Coventry winner Power is among a quartet of Ballydoyle horses in the 10-strong entry.
Ground conditions at the Curragh yesterday remained good despite the recent rain.
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