Betting
THE DERBY | Luxembourg ruled out of 1m4f Classic
Aidan O’Brien has revealed the long-time antepost favourite is out of next month’s Derby at Epsom
Promising colt Luxembourg has been ruled out of next month’s Epsom Derby after suffering a muscular injury, Aidan O’Brien has confirmed.
The three-year-old was the leader in the antepost betting, being as low as 7/4 in some places, before connections revealed on Friday that he was racing against the clock to be fit for the 1m4f Classic at the Epsom Downs.
O’Brien broke the news on Sunday evening that the Camelot Colt will now sit on the sidelines for the next few months, with the plan of returning to racing in the autumn months.
The three-year-old had already impressed punters on his first four starts, landing the Beresford Stakes and Futurity Trophy Stakes as a two-year-old before running into third in the 2000 Guineas at the end of April.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Aidan O’Brien revealed the plan going forward for Luxembourg.
“He won’t run in the Derby. The tests revealed he has a muscular issue behind and he will need a month-to-six-weeks box rest to let it heal.
“We have to do the right thing by the horse and the plan is to have him back for the autumn.”
It puts a dent in a superb week for O’Brien and Ryan Moore, who had dominated at Chester before landing the Leopardstown Derby Trial on Sunday with Stone Age, the new favourite for the Derby.
Going off as the 10/11 market leader for the Group 3 1m2f contest yesterday, the three-year-old destroyed the opposition as he flew home to win by five and a half lengths.
The Galileo colt has been slashed from 25/1 to 5/2 in a matter of days for the Epsom Classic, following his win at Leopardstown and the ruling out of Luxembourg.
The three-year-old is one of four O’Brien runners to be in the top six of the betting, with Chester Vase winner Changingoftheguard (7/1), Derby Trial Stakes winner United Nations (12/1) and Dee Stakes winner Star Of India (14/1) all holding entries in the 1m4f contest.
Aidan’s son Donnacha trains 8/1 chance Piz Badile, who rallied well late on to win the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown, while Sir Michael Stoute holds the leading British hope in Desert Crown.
The Nathanial colt is yet to make his first start this season, but he is very likely to run in the Dante this week. His first start in Graded company will be a handy guide on whether he is ready for the Derby.
The three-year-old is currently the second favourite in the market, holding the price of 6/1 at this stage.
