O'Brien jnr savours first runner in Derby Another O'Brien appears among the list of trainers for the Investec Derby as Aidan O'Brien's son Joseph has his first runner in the Classic. O'Brien jnr won the Derby twice as a jockey aboard Camelot (2012) and Australia (2014) and the fledgling trainer saddles Rekindling. Formerly trained by the now-retired David Wachman, the High Chaparral colt won the Ballysax Stakes on his debut for O'Brien before finishing fourth in the Dante at York. "The ground was not ideal at York and on reflection he didn't run a bad race, he was staying on again," said the Kilkenny-based trainer. "As for the track, you just don't know. He has a good action and there's no reason to believe he won't act round there but, like I said, until they try it for the first time, you just don't know. I hope it's no issue. "There's no substitute for the hustle and bustle of the Derby day experience, though, you can't replicate it anywhere else. "That's why whoever wins is always regarded as the best. As well as having to beat the best horses, they have to deal with all that as well." The Mark Johnston-trained Permian was beaten in a handicap at Bath on his seasonal reappearance, but has since made giant strides to establish himself as a credible Derby contender. The son of Teofilo was beaten just a short head by Cracksman in a trial at Epsom in April and then bolted up in a Listed event at Newmarket before claiming the Dante. Johnston told At The Races: "Everything has been very smooth and straightforward since the Dante. We haven't changed anything with him. "It's obviously quite unusual for a Derby contender to have run so often in the run up to the race, he's had four races already this season. "That might not be orthodox, but, in many ways, there's got to be a lot of advantages to that, particularly in a big-field Derby, as it is this year. "It can be a rough race and it can be difficult and that might play into our hands. We're one of the most experienced horses in the race and he demonstrated in the Dante that when horses are struggling and not settling, he can just do his own thing and settle wherever the jockey wants him. "We know he's got lots of speed to get a position and we're very, very confident that he'll stay the trip. "I have the utmost respect for Aidan O'Brien and John Gosden as well and if they're saying their horses are live contenders for the Derby, I'm not going to question that. "It's very encouraging to me that Cracksman is favourite. I hope the punters and the bookies have got it almost right. "If Cracksman is the one to beat, we've got an extremely good chance of beating him."
