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Bet on another O’Brien Derby win

By Angus | June 4, 2009

As horse racing mourns the loss of the great trainer Vincent O’Brien, another O’Brien is preparing an assault on the Investec Derby from Epsom, to be run on Saturday.

Aidan O’Brien has several horses in the race, all with more or less of a chance of winning racing’s Blue Riband race. He trains Fame and Glory, which is disputing favouritism, for starters. But it’s his second-string runner that appeals most to me.

Rip Van Winkle disappointed in the 2,000 Guineas, only finishing fourth despite being sent off favourite. But the Guineas is over a mile and was on soft-ish ground. The Derby is a mile and a half, will be on firmer ground, and I fully expect Rip Van Winkle to be better for the run out at Newmarket last time.

We saw with New Approach last year how a run in the 2,000 Guineas can translate into Derby success. Jim Bolger’s colt was second in the earlier Classic but came home first in the Derby.

New Approach was beaten in the 2,000 Guineas by Henrythenavigator, ridden by Johnny Murtagh and trained by Aidan O’Brien. The same combination will take Rip Van Winkle at Epsom on Saturday, and can be backed at 9/2 at Coral to come home first.

If you’d offered me four-and-a-halves on O’Brien and Murtagh in just about any Group 1 race last season I’d have snapped your hand off. They’re a tried and tested combination, and I’ll be taking Coral on at that price. (And new and existing customers can get 10 per cent cashback with Coral’s current offer.) I think Murtagh’s choice of Rip Van Winkle over Fame and Glory is significant and I’m going with him.

Godolphin’s Kite Wood could be a decent-priced each-way alternative (best priced 25/1) as most of their horses are better for a run, so Kite Wood’s trip out in the Dante Stakes could be a benefit. But no horse has ever lost in the Dante and won the Derby, so I’m passing him over.

It’s O’Brien for the Derby again, for me, courtesy of Rip Van Winkle.

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