Minutes after Saratoga Springs had finished fourth in yesterday's French Derby to Dream Well, Aidan O'Brien found himself sitting on a bale of straw in the Chantilly racecourse stableyard trying to answer questions about next Saturday's Epsom Derby.
By its very nature racing never stands still, but with Saratoga Springs still cooling off only yards behind him, the rate of knots the speculation was travelling was startling. Typically, though, O'Brien remained calm and unruffled. Saratoga Springs, the 3 to 1 favourite for the Prix du Jockey Club, had run an honourable if slightly anti-climactic race under Michael Kinane, but it's races future rather than races past that stir the pulse and nowhere does the Epsom Derby pulse currently beat harder than in O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard. "We'll have to wait and see which of ours goes to Epsom. Saratoga Springs ran a good race today and I couldn't rule him out of going. He just laboured in the ground, which he found a bit tacky," said O'Brien, who is in the enviable position of also having Second Empire and King Of Kings in his armoury. It's that strength in depth which had the majority of the hack pack descending on O'Brien leaving the winning trainer Pascal Bary, who saddled a magnificent one-two with Dream Well and Croco Rouge, in something of a limbo. "I am very, very happy," said Bary, while Cash Asmussen, winning his third French Derby after Suave Dancer and Hernando, was suavely grateful to Bary and the Niarchos family for having put him up. Admirable stuff, but as is becoming increasingly prevalent, O'Brien is where the news is. Especially after this weekend. The grapevine was alive with stories that King Of King had put in on Friday what as for him as close to a hairy-dog piece of exercise as he is ever likely to do. Coal was heaped on that bush fire when Ladbrokes, traditionally the firm with its ear closest to the Ballydoyle ground, reintroduced Second Empire to the Epsom market as its 2 to 1 favourite with a run. As O'Brien sat on the straw yesterday, the price was cut to 7 to 4. The money is now not so much talking as roaring. However, roaring is not something O'Brien is renowned for. As befits a man yesterday titled "Young King Of Ireland" in France's racing bible, Paris Turf, he fielded the questions with a regally straight bat. "It's too early to say. King Of Kings did the same work he has always done," he replied while queries about Kinane's reported affinity for Second Empire were met with: "Mick has always liked Second Empire. He has never hidden that but there is no definite runner at the moment." And apart from those two there is still Saratoga Springs, although Ladbrokes have significantly not got him in their book. Kinane never looked entirely happy on the famously tough colt. He only had four behind him at half way and after Prolix led them into the straight off a fast pace, Kinane was quickly in the drive position. To his credit, Saratoga Springs put his head down and went for it, but his chance evaporated when Croco Rouge swept by into what seemed an unassailable lead. Asmussen had other ideas, though, and switched Dream Well to the rail, where the Sadler's Wells colt powered home in the final 100 metres to beat his stable companion by a neck. Saratoga Springs was over four lengths further back and staying on well. "He struggled a bit on the ground. It was cut up down the back which made him run even lazier, but he was running a big race until the second went past and disheartened him," Kinane said before being invariably tackled about what he will ride at Epsom. "I will be riding work on Tuesday and I'll make my mind up after that." Epsom fever even hit Pascal Bary, winning his third Jockey Club, after Celtic Arms and Ragmar, when he didn't rule out Croco Rouge from running next Saturday. He will be discussing that option this morning with the colt's owner but Bary was also happily relishing yesterday's unlikely success. Dream Well, it seems, is used to missing out on the "limestlight" (sic), having been sent up for auction as a yearling by the Niarchos family and only returning to them after failing to meet his reserve. It was an almost costly move that would have caused the late, great Francois Boutin to shudder, and it was appropriate that two of Boutin's proteges were involved in saving the day.
"Pascal and I started with Francois at the same time. We got great memories from then but also great lessons," Asmussen said quietly. Proof that races past have their place, too. O'Brien's other runner, Chateau Royal, finished a disappointing last of six in the Group One Prix Jean Prat. Always at the rear of the field, Chateau Royal couldn't quicken for Kinane and missed out on the thrilling five-way photo finish which Frankie Dettori won with a wonderful ride on Godolphin's Almutawakel.
Derby prices (Ladbrokes): Second Empire 7/4 (With a Run), 11/4 Cape Verdi, 9/2 Greek Dance 6/1 King Of Kings, 9/1 City Honours & Gulland, 12/1 bar.
