CALUM McCLURKIN: Dante delivered a welcome curve ball but O'Brien still holds the key to Classics

With Aidan O’Brien practically mopping up every single Epsom Derby and Oaks trial for fun, it felt like racing fans were swapping one form of Irish dominance with another.

Jumps fans had been accustomed to the sheer volume of sustained success this season by Closutton maestro Willie Mullins.

The master of Ballydoyle is threatening to do likewise.

O’Brien won the Sandown Classic Trial, the Chester Trial, the Lingfield Trial, the Ballysax and the Leopardstown Derby Trial.

Things looked ominous going into York’s Dante, which has traditionally been the most significant of Derby trials ahead of the Epsom Classic in three weeks’ time.

The Lion In Winter was sent off a red-hot favourite in York. O’Brien had warned that his star two-year-old of last season would need the run badly.

Punted into 8-11 anyway, the trainer’s doubts were proved to be correct.

He was far too fresh to do himself justice and finished off a messy race okay when beaten by around four lengths in sixth.

The winner 20-1 chance Pride Of Arras who is trained by Ralph Beckett who has had brilliant horses such as Westover and Bluestocking make a splash at the top level in recent years.

He probably isn’t as fashionable as the other two but he looks a promising colt that can handle the undulations of Epsom and has the tactical speed to make the grade.

He won an informative trial in good style and there was no fluke about it. He’s the fly in the ointment the race desperately needed.

It would be foolish, however, to entirely dismiss the chances of The Lion In Winter on the back of his effort in the Dante. He will come forward plenty from it physically and seems to be a little tricky to train. The genius of O’Brien means those concerns will probably be rendered irrelevant if he takes his chance.

City Of Troy and Auguste Rodin left deplorable efforts in the Guineas behind to fulfil their potential and win the Derby. Could The Lion In Winter do likewise? Possibly. But whether he’s mentally ready for the test of Epsom is open to question. He might be a bit too backward for a Derby in this stage his career.

Team Ballydoyle might opt for the French alternative instead over a shorter distance on a more conventional track, particularly after jockey Ryan Moore said after his Dante effort that he isn’t short on pace. It would also give O’Brien extra time to get him in 100-per-cent shape.

O’Brien also has Delacroix, who is Derby favourite after winning the Ballysax and Leopardstown trial. The old Galileo and High Chapparal route has served O’Brien reasonably well throughout the years. His claims are obvious as he ticks all the boxes.

This Derby seems like a case of Ballydoyle holding most of the cards but maybe not all of the aces. One thing O’Brien will be able to control is tactics depending on whether he runs other trial winners such as Lambourn, Mount Kilimanjaro and Puppet Master. Twain could also stake a claim depending on how the Irish Guineas goes.

He could go mob handed in a bid to set a strong pace to enhance the chances of his strong-staying outsiders but it may ask a major stamina question of Godolphin’s 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Ruling Court showed a great turn of foot to win a strong Guineas. He looked like a Derby type beforehand and will take his chance at Epsom but an end-to-end gallop over a half mile further will present a completely different challenge.

Other each-way players would include Dante second Damysus. Wimbledon Hawkeye was third at York and has consistent Group One form. Green Impact was sixth in the Guineas but looked a Derby type for Jessica Harrington, while Dermot Weld’s Purview could be an outsider to not if taking his chance.

The shuffling of O’Brien’s Derby pack will shape the race significantly but that won’t mean he’ll necessarily win it. The depth is there to be seen but there are a few others in the mix that can upset the applecart.

BRILLIANT BLACKMORE TOOK RACING TO ANOTHER LEVEL

All the best to true trailblazer Racheal Blackmore after she announced her retirement in the saddle.

Her victory on Minella Times in the Grand National in 2021 to become the first female jockey to win the world’s most prestigious race was a truly historic moment.

She didn’t just break through the glass ceiling, she absolutely smashed it and raised the bar for all jumps jockeys no matter their gender. And that’s the point.

For all the remarkable racehorses she’s been associated, no punter in the land would have seen the jockey booking of Blackmore anything other than a massive positive.

Her association with A Plus Tard and Honeysuckle was an enduring source of success. Trainers such as Henry de Bromhead, Willie Mullins and Shark Hanlon always supported her and supplied her with the right horses to flourish.

Blackmore was a name to transcend racing beyond its bubble and that’s no mean feat in this day and age. She was brilliant right to the end, with two masterful waiting rides on Bob Olinger in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Terms Of Endearment in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham Festival a testament of her talent in the saddle.

My personal favourite was when she snuck up the inside of Paul Townend on Benie Des Dieux to win the 2020 Mares’ Hurdle on Honeysuckle. It was a clever, sharp move around the home turn that essentially won the race and sparked a terrific career for a horse and rider that did it all.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK…

See The Fire was wildly impressive at York when winning the Middleton Stakes at York but LEAD ARTIST was brave to win a red-hot Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. He battled back gamely to defeat favourite Dancing Gemini, with Rosallion and Notable Speech shaping well in third and fourth on their reappearance runs.

The mile division has been a bit thin in terms of depth and quality but if all four reoppose again in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot then another race to savour is on the cards and this division will flip from being one of the weakest to the strongest at the top table.

SELECTION OF THE DAY…

The Blackbeard Fillies Stakes at Naas (4.03) has been won by some brilliant two-year-olds. The roll of honour includes Alpha Centauri, Meditate, Fairy Godmother and Porta Fortuna. This will be a huge pointer to the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and probably next season’s Guineas and Coronation Stakes.

Simply Astounding has a bit of a wow factor about her for Aidan O’Brien as does Lady Iman for Ger Lyons. Both are sub 2-1 and there’s little reason to see why Joseph O’Brien’s GREEN SENSE (5-1, Paddy Power) is a much bigger price as she’s made just as strong as an early impression as the other two fillies when winning impressively on debut at the Curragh by three lengths.

She’s worth backing at the current prices in what will be a very informative race for the future.