Big days ahead with Australia Paddy Power make Australia just 12-1 to claim the elusive Triple Crown this year following trainer Aidan O'Brien's bullish assessment of the colt after his post-racing gallop at Leopardstown on Sunday. As a son of Galileo out of the brilliant race mare Ouija Board, Australia is certainly bred to be top-class and appeared just that when recording a scintillating victory over Free Eagle at Leopardstown in September. After watching his star three-year-old work at Foxrock on Sunday, the master of Ballydoyle said: "He goes straight to the Guineas and physically he has done wonderfully. He is the second-best horse I have ever trained and the best was not a Flat horse - the great Istabraq." Australia is already a hot favourite for both the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 3 and the Investec Derby at Epsom on June 7. Two years ago the O'Brien-trained Camelot won both Classics, but was beaten three-quarters of a length by Encke when bidding to complete the Triple Crown in the St Leger at Doncaster. Nijinsky remains the last horse to complete the feat 44 years ago, but it is no surprise Paddy Power are already trying to tempt punters in, given his trainer's recent comments. The firm also make Australia 25-1 to win the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a hat-trick last achieved by the John Oxx-trained Sea The Stars in 2009. Paddy Power said: "Aidan has certainly started to crank up the hype about Australia and as a result punters are starting to talk about him as a possible Triple Crown horse. "But we're extremely happy not to be shortest about him for the English Derby and just wonder if the form of his Leopardstown win might just be exaggerated with doubts about whether Free Eagle was at the top of his game that day." Paddy Power offer 9-4 about Australia for the Guineas, although he is as short as 7-4 with other bookmakers. The exciting colt is 5-2 with the same firm for the Derby.
