FRENCH DERBY:THE DRAW has been kind to Cape Blanco and Viscount Nelson as Aidan O'Brien sends perhaps his strongest ever raiding party to the French Derby at Chantilly tomorrow.
Ireland’s champion trainer has been sending runners to France’s premier Classic since Saratoga Springs in 1997, and they have included other Group One winners, like Aussie Rules.
However, they have proved to be fruitless attempts, and up to now the €1.5 million Classic has tended to play second-fiddle to Epsom in Ballydoyle’s Derby considerations.
This time, though, Cape Blanco looked a genuine contender for Epsom on the strength of an impressive Dante success at York, but some slight stamina reservations have resulted in him going to Paris instead, where he will be joined by Viscount Nelson who was placed in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last time.
A bumper field of 23 line up, but Cape Blanco, in stall seven, and Viscount Nelson, in stall six, have done well for a race where a bad draw can be a major negative. Dermot Weld blamed a high draw for Famous Name’s narrow defeat two years ago.
“Viscount Nelson ran a very good race in the Irish Guineas and Cape Blanco obviously won the Dante very nicely,” O’Brien said yesterday.
Tomorrow’s race, which is due off at 3.04pm Irish time, will not have John Dunlop’s Elusive Pimpernel, who has had a late setback.
But there is a strong home team for a race that only two Irish-trained horses have won – Assert (1982) and Caerleon (1983).
Andre Fabre will hope to score just a second Prix du Jockey Club success with the French Guineas winner Lope De Vega, but the Prix de Noailles scorer Planteur is highly regarded and has a decent draw in 10.
