Big three set for Curragh showdown

Racing : The big three contenders for Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh are among a field of 14.

Racing: The big three contenders for Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh are among a field of 14.

New Approach, Tartan Bearer and Casual Conquest, the first three home in the Epsom equivalent, are all set to reoppose as the first-named attempts to emulate his sire Galileo in adding the Curragh event to his C.V.

Others that ran at Epsom include fourth-placed Doctor Fremantle, Luca Cumani's Curtain Call (10th) and the Aidan O'Brien-trained quartet of Washington Irving (fifth), Alessandro Volta (sixth), Bashkirov (15th) and Frozen Fire (11th).

O'Brien could also run Hindu Kush and Wassily Kandinsky.

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John Gosden will run his Sandown Classic Trial winner Centennial while stable companion Upton Grey has been supplemented as a pacemaker.

Upton Grey is owned by Princess Haya Of Jordan, who also owns New Approach.

Dermot Weld has left in Winchester despite his slightly disappointing run at Ascot last week but there is no denying his best hope lies with Casual Conquest.

"He's a lovely big horse and still very immature but a very good one," said Weld.

"We're hopeful (he can get his revenge). It's going to be another great race. It's going to be very tough to reverse the places with the first two but we'll try.

"We think he'll be better suited by the Curragh but you could say the same about the others as well.

"Epsom these days is a very fair track, there's no excuses. He handled the track at Epsom and he's come out of the race sound and well and we are looking forward to Sunday and the Irish Derby.

"For a very big horse he is a very balanced horse and I think he has learned from Epsom. I'd be very hopeful of a big run on Sunday.

"He's more similar to my second Derby winner Grey Swallow rather than Zagreb as he's a stayer with speed.

"I think this year's Epsom Derby was a very good race, a vintage renewal, and I'm confident he'll run a big race," he told At The Races.

Centennial could finish only fourth behind Tartan Bearer in the Dante at York over 10 furlongs but his Irish owner Michael O'Flynn expects the step up to 12 furlongs to be in his favour.

"I was at Sandown and it was a nice performance, but it looks a hot race on Sunday in different company," said O'Flynn.

"The Dante was a bit fast for him and the trip was wrong and I think that he will be much more suited by the mile and four furlongs in the Derby and we'll find out at the weekend."

The recent rain in Ireland should suit Centennial, who was only two lengths behind Raven's Pass on his debut last July.

"We always have rain in Ireland!" joked the owner. "I think that's good news."

Centennial is due to be ridden by Seb Sanders for the first time as Jimmy Fortune is expected to be in France riding Lucarno in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

New Approach has been installed as a red-hot 4-5 favourite to complete the Derby double with Centennial a 20-1 chance.

Paddy Power, spokesman for the Irish bookmaker, said: "A lot of people think that the first three in the betting are unbeatable.

"I remember John Gosden not being disappointed with Centennial at all after he was beaten at York and at 20-1, he looks good value to expose any chinks in the armour of the front trio."

Irish Derby, Paddy Power bet: 4-5 New Approach, 7-2 Tartan Bearer, 8-1 Casual Conquest, 10-1 Alessandro Volta, 12-1 Doctor Fremantle, 14-1 Washington Irving, Curtain Call, 20-1 Centennial, Frozen Fire, 33-1 Hindu Kush, 50-1 Winchester, 100-1 Bashkirov, Upton Grey, Wassily Kandinsky.