O’Brien is sweet on Mogul for Derby glory

MOGUL is the shortestpriced of the sextet of Aidan O’Brien-trained runners in tomorrow’s Investec Derby after Ryan Moore opted to ride the colt at Epsom. Coral cut the son of Galileo to 11-2 third favourite. Moore’s decision-making this season has been made more difficult because travel restrictions mean he has been unable to go to Ireland to get accustomed to O’Brien’s candidates. Mogul has been beaten in his last two runs, most recently by Derby rival Pyledriver, who defeated him by four-and-threequarter lengths in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

That led to O’Brien’s Russian Emperor, winner of the Hampton Court Stakes, shortening to 6-1. But the trainer, seeking a record-breaking eighth Derby win, says Mogul’s defeats had not dented his confidence in the colt. ‘We think he has improved a lot since Ascot and still think he will improve more, but he does have plenty of ground to make up,’ he admitted. ‘We took a chance at Royal Ascot. We knew we were only going to get one race into him before the Derby when he would normally have two. We felt to give him a chance to win the Derby he had to have the toughest trial.’ O’Brien has booked William Buick for Amhran Na Bhfiann and James Doyle for Mythical, but for the first time this season he will bring his Irish-based jockeys to Britain. Seamus Heffernan, successful in last year’s Derby on Anthony Van Dyck, rides Russian Emperor; Padraig Beggy, who won the 2017 Derby on Wings Of Eagles, is on Vatican City, and Emmet McNamara partners Serpentine.