O´Brien Shrugs Off Ground Concerns

Aidan O´Brien is not overly concerned by the prospect of soft ground for hot favourite Eagle Mountain in today´s Budweiser Irish Derby at the Curragh.

The Vodafone Derby runner-up heads a four-strong team from the Ballydoyle stable as O´Brien bids for his fifth race success in the last 10 years.

'Eagle Mountain has been well since Epsom and he got the trip well there that day, he was coming home really well,' said O´Brien.

'He does handle ease so the ground should be OK and he won the Beresford here last year on soft ground.'

Kieren Fallon, bidding for an Irish Derby hat-trick after wins on Hurricane Run and Dylan Thomas in the last two years, is equally optimistic.

He said: 'They all have to go on it and nothing is going to be suited by it. It is heavy and I think there is more rain forecast tonight.

'My horse has got a big heart and he has the form ? he has got the best form in the race. He was second in the Epsom Derby and you have to respect him. It´s a smaller field (today) and Epsom is a very difficult track.

'Johnny (Murtagh) got shuffled back and there was nothing anyone could do. If gets rough at Epsom you have to look after your horse.

'Hopefully I can get a run through and improve on that as I think he deserves it,' Fallon told At The Races.

Despite plenty of stable confidence, Ladbrokes make Eagle Mountain odds against at 11-10 with O´Brien´s number two, Soldier Of Fortune, second best at 6-1.

Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams said: 'We opened the market at evens and Eagle Mountain hasn´t ever really threatened to go odds on.

'We´re taking an extra chance by going odds against and will wait to see if that tempts the punters out to play.'

Of his other runners, O´Brien added: 'Soldier Of Fortune handles ease and ran well on soft ground in France earlier in the season.

'Spanish Harlem won his maiden on heavy and Alexander Of Hales has run well on it before so I am hoping they all handle it.'

Mark Johnston believes Boscobel will cope with the likely testing conditions.

The King Edward VII Stakes winner, owned by Sheikh Mohammed, was supplemented at a cost of 150,000 euros on Tuesday.

'He´s never run on ground this soft before. He ran on soft at Hamilton in the Glasgow Stakes when he was our reserve horse for Serengeti,' said the Middleham trainer.

'He won nicely at Ascot and they were calling the ground good to soft there but I would say it was a little bit slower than that.

'We know he handled that well but this is a different story. It´s the same for all and he has given every indication that he will handle the ground well.'

Budweiser Irish Derby, Ladbrokes bet: 11-10 Eagle Mountain, 6-1 Soldier Of Fortune, 13-2 Boscobel, 7-1 Shamdinan, 8-1 Royal And Regal, 14-1 Al Shemali, Mores Wells, 33-1 bar.

(C) PA Sport