O’BRIEN SET TO SWOOP AT THE DOUBLE WITH EAGLES

THE Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby may still feel like it’s on an unfamiliar day, Saturday, but a familiar figure is odds-on to saddle the winner of Ireland’s most prestigious Flat race, Aidan O’Brien.

With his dark suit, dark glasses and obligatory mobile phone, O’Brien is a proven stayer at the Curragh where he has ruled for 20 years since Desert King won the first of 11 Irish Derby triumphs.

The soft-spoken Wexford native is responsible for five of the nine runners in today’s 5.20 renewal and the famous turf will tremble if one of them doesn’t chalk up a round dozen of Irish Derby wins.

The splendidly-named Wings Of Eagles was a 40/1 no-hoper when he swooped from the clouds at Epsom but bookies are taking no risks today and O’Brien’s lead-off colt will start favourite to complete the English-Irish Derby double.

It’s an elite feat achieved by just 18 horses, four of whom were trained by O’Brien at Ballydoyle — Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), and Australia (2016).

If Wings Of Eagles joins that privileged crew, he will be identified as one of racing’s greats barely a month since he was unfancied at Epsom.

That O’Brien regards his blue-blood colt as his Curragh mainstay is reflected by Ryan Moore’s presence in the ‘plate.

At Epsom, Paddy Beggy got the leg-up as O’Brien ran seven horses but the Derby-winning pilot misses the cut today — he has just one ride for O’Brien over the weekend, in a maiden tomorrow.

Instead, it is Moore, Jamie Heffernan (Capri), Wayne Lordan (Taj Mahal) and two of O’Brien’s children, Donnacha (Douglas MacArthur) and Anastasia (The Anvil), who carry the various silks of their Coolmore owners.

They can be expected to ride to orders to ensure Wings Of Eagles is given a clear-cut opportunity to reaffirm his form at Epsom, where he looked beaten only to conjure up a blistering turn of foot in the final two furlongs.

One of the horses he mugged at the post was Cracksman, who was the subject of serious financial support yesterday, clipped from 3/1 to 11/4.

A close third to Wings Of Eagles on the Downs, Cracksman has a similar racing profile to Jack Hobbs, who bounced back from an Epsom Derby defeat in 2015 to capture the Irish Derby.

Cracksman also carries Anthony Oppenheimer’s white and blacks silks and has the same trainer, John Gosden.

So can Cracksman burgle the first prize of €855,000 today?

It’s possible. In the past 14 years, Almshar (2003), Dylan Thomas (2006), Fame And Glory (2009) and Treasure Beach (2011), were crowned at the Curragh after being placed at Epsom, although significantly, none of the quartet ran into their Epsom conquerors again.

Indeed, the last time Epsom Derby form was reversed in the Irish Derby was in 1992 when St Jovite gunned down Dr Devious, so history is not on the side of Cracksman.

Nor does it favour Waldgeist, the French Derby runner-up, who brings a whiff of Gallic flair to Kildare.

Not since Montjeu in 1999 has a French Derby winner gone on to claim the Irish Derby.

But trainer Andre Fabre, who won the Irish Derby with Hurricane Run in 1995, hasn’t come over to enjoy the scenery.

Taking out big names like Gosden, O’Brien and Jim Bolger, who saddles Dubai Sand, would be some scalp for the 24-time French champion trainer.

For O’Brien, the Curragh’s one and a half mile is the premium challenge for three-yearolds. As his rivals strive to rein him in, O’Brien seeks to fly further and higher, as if airborne on the wings of eagles.