O´Brien Sooths Punters´ Nerves

Aidan O´Brien has issued an upbeat bulletin on leading Vodafone Derby candidate Gypsy King after the colt drifted alarmingly on the exchanges at one stage yesterday.

The Sadler´s Wells colt went out to massive prices, sparking rumours about his well-being after his narrow win in the Dee Stakes at Chester last week.

However, O´Brien has assured punters that Gypsy King is 100 per cent and that they have nothing to worry about.

'I have no idea (where the rumours came from). He´s fine, he did a canter this morning and everything seems fine with him,' he told Channel 4 Racing.

'Obviously the Epsom Derby was the reason we brought him to Chester, to educate him and hope he might turn into that kind of horse.

'He came through it well and was fine after - so far so good. There´s still three weeks to go though.'

Gypsy King is a 9-2 shot with Ladbrokes, and the Ballydoyle maestro also has Albert Hall near the head of the market.

He will put his Derby credentials on the line in the totesport Dante Stakes at York tomorrow.

O´Brien added: 'Albert Hall is to come here tomorrow, a horse called Scorpion might run in the Gallinule, and there´s a horse called Yehudi who might run at the weekend.

'When all the trials are over, I think we will sit down and have a chat about the way things are going and what we want to do with everything.'

Scorpion, a winner at Leopardstown over the weekend, is a 25-1 shot for the Derby with Ladbrokes, while Yehudi is available at 33-1 with the same firm.

? PA Sport