Aidan O’Brien’s odds-on Derby favourite Saxon Warrior ready for his Epsom challenge
Saxon Warrior is the red-hot favourite for the Classic following his win in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas
SAXON WARRIOR will lead Aidan O'Brien's army into battle for the Investec Derby at Epsom next month.
O'Brien's colt is already odds-on to land his second Classic of the season following his win in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Ballydoyle handler is also set to saddle Delano Roosevelt, The Pentagon and Kew Gardens.
O'Brien said: "I'd imagine those four will run and we'll see if anything else goes with them.
"I suppose the two horses in the trial yesterday, the second and the third, and I suppose the horse from Lingfield.
"He would be number four then, and if something else runs, I don't know. That's what I would be thinking."
O'Brien is expecting Saxon Warrior to improve from his Newmarket win - a worrying thought for his rivals.
He said: "The plan with going to Newmarket, and with the Derby in mind, we didn't want to start over seven furlongs.
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"We thought a mile at Newmarket was going to be a lovely start-off for him.
"Obviously we were very happy with him. Everything's good so far. We could not have been happier with Saxon because there's an awful lot of improvement to come. It'll be exciting to see."
We've always thought he was going to be a middle-distance horse, rather than Guineas horse. He's a big colt - he wears his head low. He's a good traveller and he seems balanced.
"He didn't have any problems at Newmarket with the dip. We're very happy with him. Ryan Moore will ride him as he's the number one rider and that's the way it is."
If Saxon Warrior wins at Epsom, he could be in line for a crack at the Triple Crown in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
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No horse has achieved this since the great Nijinsky in 1970 although O'Brien came mightily close in 2012 with Camelot narrowly beaten in the final leg.
He added: "It would be unbelievable if we ever had a horse that ever did it. If there's a chance we had a Triple Crown horse, this was always going to be the horse.
"And that's why we started him off in the Guineas. We are still alive and kicking after the first round."