Aidan O’Brien is sticking to his original plan with Auguste Rodin, despite his disappointing effort in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan.

Winner of both the Derby and the Irish Derby last year, the Deep Impact colt had produced lacklustre efforts in both the 2000 Guineas and King George at Ascot either side of those Classic victories.

He ended his season by winning both the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, but never looked like getting involved on his return to action in Dubai, coming home last of 12 runners.

O’Brien felt the race did not suit and will look to get his campaign back on track in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on May 26.

“He’s well and we just put a line through the race. It was a tactical affair and we just got caught in the wrong part of it,” said O’Brien.

“The good thing about Ryan (Moore) is when things go wrong like that, he accepts it very quickly and the horse doesn’t get a hard race.

“We are looking at going to the Curragh (for the Tattersalls Gold Cup) if everything goes fine.”

Aidan O’Brien is fully aware of the importance of Auguste Rodin to the thoroughbred breed as he aims to add another stellar Group One to his CV in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic.

By the late Japanese sensation Deep Impact, Auguste Rodin showcased his talent on the world stage last year by completing the Derby double at Epsom and the Curragh before adding the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf to his tally.

On Saturday he is attempting to win on a third continent, with the brave decision to keep him in training as a four-year-old, especially given Coolmore will eventually be looking for him to take over from Galileo at stud, not lost on his trainer.

“He’s so important to the breed of the thoroughbred,” said O’Brien.

“He brings together the best of Japan and Europe – the best of two continents – and it’s fair to say he’s one of the most important and exciting horses we have ever had. He really does have a chance of exerting a huge influence on future racehorses.

“It was a very brave decision by the lads to keep him in training, most definitely. There was already huge interest in him as a stallion prospect. But his owners are enjoying their racing more than ever these days and they are conscious of how unique this horse is. I think it’s great for everyone in racing that we can enjoy him again this year.

“We feel he has matured well from three to four and the reports from the team at Meydan are that he has travelled there well and is in great form.

“He is ready to run to his best and we are very excited about the journey ahead.”

Later in the year O’Brien is keen to see if Auguste Rodin can handle a dirt surface, which would make him even more valuable and unique.

“I think, as a rule, Deep Impacts are more grass horses, but we were very surprised the way he worked on dirt in America during the Breeders’ Cup,” he added.

“He cruises over the dirt, he’s a beautiful mover. He’s a very unusual-actioned horse so it will be very interesting to see how the season progresses. We can’t wait to see him back.”

There is at least one formidable obstacle to Auguste Rodin, however, in the shape of the Japanese filly Liberty Island, a multiple Group One winner in her homeland and last seen filling the runner-up spot behind her esteemed compatriot Equinox, who was nothing sort of sensational in last year’s Sheema Classic.

Auguste Rodin’s jockey Ryan Moore knows the strength of Japanese racing as much as anyone, and is full of respect for Liberty Island in a deep field.

“He had a gallop at Dundalk last month and he has been gearing up very well for this target since then,” he told Betfair.

“We never underestimate the opposition though, and you’d be pretty foolish to, given the make-up of this field.

“The strength of the Japanese circuit is there for all to see in this – Liberty Island’s winning run was only brought to a close by Equinox in the Japan Cup and we have to give that filly 5lb here, which is a pretty big ask – and there are Group One winners everywhere else you look too, not to mention the progressive Spirit Dancer.

“The winner will have earned their success.”

The British contingent is headed by John and Thady Gosden’s top-class filly Emily Upjohn, who has not not been seen in competitive action since disappointing in the King George at Ascot in July.

Thady Gosden said: “Obviously things didn’t quite go right there (in the King George), so we gave her a bit of time afterwards and she’s been in good order since really.

“She’s been training well through the winter. Obviously it’s very difficult getting horses ready with the long, dark nights and the cold weather, but she’s enjoying her work and has travelled over without a bother. Like everyone she’s happy to be here and is enjoying the experience.

“She’s a filly who has always shown plenty of talent and she’s progressed well through her career, of course winning the Coronation Cup last year against the boys. She’s in a similar situation here over a mile and a half against colts, albeit in a much more international race against some of the best horses in the world, as you’d expect.”

Charlie Appleby and William Buick team up with 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Rebel’s Romance. The six-year-old disappointed behind Equinox 12 months ago, but returns for a second attempt off the back of claiming at Group Three prize in Qatar in February.

“It was great to see him back at that level in Doha. He obviously had that great spell two years ago, winning those Group Ones culminating in winning a Breeders’ Cup Turf,” said Appleby.

“Last year was a bit stop-start. Our plan of working back from the Sword Dancer met with a bit of a mishap where he clipped heels (at Saratoga in July). He didn’t go down, but Richie (Mullen) got a bad fall and the horse just lost his confidence.

“We went to Kempton for an easier assignment with the hope that he would gain confidence from it and you could visually see that he had and we went to Qatar with a horse that we felt was back on his A-game. It was a great ride by William that day, but you’ve got to have the horse underneath you and the combination did a great job and won very impressively.

“He’s come here in great nick. The Sheema Classic is probably the strongest race of the evening, but the mile-and-a-half turf division is always a strong division wherever you go.”

Auguste Rodin is set to have a busy first half of the season, which will kick off with a run in the Sheema Classic in Dubai.

Aidan O’Brien’s dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup winner is then scheduled to take in the Tattersalls Gold Cup closer to home at the Curragh before a trip to Royal Ascot, after which connections will take stock.

Being by Deep Impact, a race on dirt would not usually be considered, but O’Brien was so taken by the way he acted on the surface in the mornings when preparing for the Breeders’ Cup, that he is giving the idea some serious thought.

“Auguste Rodin has another bit of work to do before he goes on Saturday, but everything looks good at the moment. It’s his first run of the year but we’re very happy with him,” he said.

“The plan was he goes there, then he could go to the Curragh for the Tattersalls and then Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.

“After that, we could have a look at a dirt race with him after that, we’ll see how that goes. He could go to Saratoga. The world has gone small now.

“His season will be split in two really, with a busy first half and then a break.

“As a rule, Deep Impacts are mainly turf horses, but we were surprised how well he worked on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup, he floated over it. He has an unusual action, so it will be interesting to see.”

Another stalwart of the yard due to return is Kyprios, who missed the majority of last season before finishing second in the Irish St Leger and at Ascot on Champions Day.

The usual O’Brien route to the Gold Cup back at Ascot will be taken, with the Vintage Crop Stakes and the Saval Beg early targets.

“It was amazing he came back, I couldn’t believe it. He seems in good form, he’ll go to Navan and then he’ll go to Leopardstown, that’s the plan, the usual Ascot (Gold Cup) route,” said O’Brien.

As for the two-year-olds, none have been named to date but there are several catching the studious eyes at Ballydoyle.

“None of the two-year-olds are named yet, but we think we have two good Justifys, out of two sisters (Fabulous and Butterflies),” said O’Brien.

“We’ve some nice Wootton Bassetts this year, more than we’ve had before. We’re starting (the season) earlier and I was conscious that I didn’t want to have them ready to run in that ground because they have to be very fit, so if they are, they won’t make it through the summer.

“The Wootton Bassett out of Immortal Verse looks very smart, as does the Wootton Bassett out of Ennistymon. We’re just going gently with them.

“Wootton Bassett looks very different, we only had two colts last year and they were both very good – River Tiber and Unquestionable.”

Dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin has a ticket to Dubai booked for the Sheema Classic as a mixed turf and dirt campaign beckons.

The Deep Impact colt is out of multiple Group One winner Rhododendron and lived up to his exceptional pedigree when taking both the Derby and Irish Derby last term.

He capped his domestic season by winning another Group One title in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, after which he set sail for Santa Anita and defeated a competitive field to land the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

After that performance there was some discussion as to whether he would retire to stud or stay in training, with connections sportingly choosing the latter option.

A winter break followed and the four-year-old is due to return in the Sheema Classic, run over a mile and a half at the Dubai World Cup fixture in Meydan in late March.

Auguste Rodin did a piece of work on the all-weather track at Dundalk ahead of the journey, after which he has a turf campaign pencilled in before connections expect to discuss running him on a dirt surface.

O’Brien – who runs Luxembourg and Tower Of London in Saudi Arabia on Saturday – said: “That’s the plan for him, the Sheema Classic, then we were thinking of going back for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then maybe to Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.

“We’ll have a look at racing him on the dirt after that, it’s very possible with these types of horses that you can push the boundaries a bit and explore a little bit and see what happens.

“He was at Dundalk on Friday, he went a mile and a quarter with three other horses and went very well.

“He came back then and started preparing for Dubai, that’s the plan.”

Aidan O’Brien has indicated last year’s star three-year-old Auguste Rodin could begin his 2024 campaign in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Winner of the Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf, he was expertly handled by O’Brien to bounce back from bitter disappointments in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the King George at Ascot.

To win four times at the highest level in three different countries confirmed O’Brien’s long-held view that Auguste Rodin, who is by Japanese superstar Deep Impact, is a little out of the ordinary.

As such it was a bold decision by connections to keep him in training, and O’Brien is clearly not going to wrap him up in cotton wool, with the first part of his season potentially already mapped out and a crack at the world’s best dirt races possible later in the year.

Speaking on a media call regarding the 2023 European Classifications, which saw his City Of Troy lead the way, O’Brien said: “I suppose with Auguste Rodin this year we are going to start off probably in Dubai (March 30), then he might come back to the Curragh for the Tattersalls (Gold Cup), then he could go to Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.

“Then after that it is possible we could have a look at dirt and see what happens because when we cantered him on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup he was loving it.”

Auguste Rodin and his old rival King Of Steel could lock horns once again as both feature among the pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.

Aidan O’Brien’s colt came on top when they clashed at Epsom in the summer, wearing down Roger Varian’s charge deep inside the final furlong and was then much the best when claiming the Irish Champion Stakes in September.

King Of Steel finished well to be fourth on that occasion, and would head to California with confidence sky high having carried Frankie Dettori to a fairytale success on British Champions Day.

Plenty of familiar names could feature in the Turf, with Royal Ascot and Juddmonte International champion Mostahdaf set to represent John and Thady Gosden and Donnacha O’Brien’s Piz Badile joining Ballydoyle’s Bolshoi Ballet and Broome.

The Amo Racing-owned King Of Steel also has the Classic as a second preference, a race won last year by the all-conquering Flightline and this year could see a match-up between Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo and Kentucky Derby hero Mage.

Paddington has been given the option of ending his stellar 2023 campaign in the Mile, where he could meet Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas and recent Keeneland scorer Mawj.

She is one of two for Godolphin alongside Master Of The Seas who will bid to give Charlie Appleby his third straight success in the race.

High-class duo Inspiral and Warm Heart will lead the raiding contingent in the Filly & Mare Turf with both operating at the peak of their powers this season, while Simon and Ed Crisford’s Dubai World Cup runner-up Algiers is the sole British challenger in the Dirt Mile.

Brad Cox’s Caravel held off the British raiders in the Turf Sprint 12 months ago and has the likes of Adam West’s Nunthorpe hero Live In The Dream and King’s Stand Stakes winner Bradsell to take on this time.

Michael Appleby’s Big Evs will carry British hopes on the opening night of action when he looks to round off a brilliant juvenile campaign in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Auguste Rodin is likely to head straight for the Breeders’ Cup after his impressive return to form in the Irish Champion Stakes.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt put a disappointing King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes run behind him when sent off the 11-4 favourite at Leopardstown under Ryan Moore last Saturday.

The English and Irish Derby winner showed his ability in a quality field to come home half a length ahead of stablemate Luxembourg.

The Breeders’ Cup now beckons at Santa Anita in early November, with the Deep Impact colt likely to set sail for America without another run.

“He’s very good. I was speaking to the boss on the way up and it’s very possible he’ll go straight to America,” O’Brien said.

“He came out of it great and I couldn’t have been happier with him.

“He loves pace and follows pace very easy. When he gets there he doesn’t do much, but that’s the way he’s always been.

“All he wants is a good pace on in front of him and in America you usually get that on fast ground.”

O’Brien was also pleased to see Kyprios return to action on Sunday at the Curragh, where the chestnut returned from nearly a year off the track to finish second in the Irish St Leger.

It was a heartening effort after such a long absence and Champions Day at Ascot in late October is now under consideration for the top-class stayer.

“He came out of the race very good and I’m very happy with him, I’m delighted with him really,” added O’Brien.

“He came out of it brilliant and he’s nearly moving better now than he was before the race, even though we were very happy with his action. He’s definitely gone the right way.

“You’d probably think about Ascot now because you’d give him time to go back, Arc weekend may be too quick.

“At least he could be there now for next year, which is great.”

A trip to the Breeders’ Cup looks to be on the agenda for Auguste Rodin following his thrilling return to form in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.

On the weekend Aidan O’Brien became just the third Irish trainer to reach the 4,000 career winners landmark, the dual Derby winner provided the Ballydoyle handler his fifth straight victory in the 10-furlong Group One contest, denying stablemate Luxembourg back-to-back wins in the Leopardstown feature.

The success was made all the remarkable as it was the second time this season O’Brien and his team had conjured up a piece of magic on the training grounds as the son of Deep Impact once again proved his doubters wrong to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing display in Ascot’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

With a preference for a sound surface, the high-class colt could now have booked his ticket to Santa Anita in early November, with O’Brien believing that could be the perfect spot for the apple of his eye.

He said: The lads love the Breeders’ Cup and he’s a lovely horse for it. They will decide, but he’d love that ground.

“He’s a beautiful mover. He won in Doncaster on heavy and we couldn’t believe that he did it, but it was probably just sheer ability.

“We’ll take our time and see how he is, but I’d imagine it will be something like that (Breeders’ Cup).”

Luxembourg, meanwhile, could bid to better last year’s seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

O’Brien added: “He could go to the Arc. He wouldn’t mind as long as the ground is not heavy, and over a mile and a half we know to ride him like a horse that just gets a mile and a half.

“He doesn’t want to go any further, but we are learning about him all the time. It was a massive run yesterday.”

Augustus Rodin rose from the canvass once again to hold off Luxembourg and Nashwa and win the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

Despite being a dual Derby winner, Aidan O’Brien’s Deep Impact colt had run two inexplicably bad races this season.

Having disappointed badly in the 2000 Guineas, O’Brien worked his magic to get him back in top form to win at Epsom. He was then workmanlike in winning the Irish Derby, before being virtually pulled up in the King George at Ascot.

But it is folly to write off O’Brien and his horses, and dropped back down to 10 furlongs Auguste Rodin was sent off the 11-4 favourite.

Up against Derby runner-up King Of Steel, last year’s winner Luxembourg and multiple Group One scorer Nashwa, punters kept the faith.

With three Ballydoyle runners at the head of affairs they had the run of the race, while Hollie Doyle only had Jim Crowley and Alflaila for company at the rear of the field.

Auguste Rodin quickened by Luxembourg as Point Lonsdale weakened, with Doyle making relentless progress on John and Thady Gosden’s Nashwa.

Ryan Moore was asking for everything on the favourite, and in the last 50 yards Nashwa’s run flattened out and it was Luxembourg who had one last lunge on the rails, going down by half a length with Nashwa a short head away.

Dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin is one of four runners for Aidan O’Brien as the master of Ballydoyle goes in search of a fifth victory in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes.

It is 22 years since the great Galileo supplemented his Derby triumphs at Epsom and the Curragh with victory in Ascot’s midsummer highlight, comfortably accounting for top-class older horse Fantastic Light.

Dylan Thomas and Duke Of Marmalade provided O’Brien with back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008 before Highland Reel struck gold for the County Tipperary maestro in 2016 – and in Auguste Rodin he has unearthed another potential middle-distance star.

Disappointing when favourite for the 2000 Guineas in May, the son of Japanese ace Deep Impact has since proved his worth with successive Classic wins over the King George distance of a mile and a half.

Both of those triumphs did come on fast ground, though, and with an easier surface forecast for this weekend, O’Brien is hoping underfoot conditions do not deteriorate further.

He said: “We’re very happy with Auguste Rodin and everything has gone very well since the last day.

“The better the ground, the better it will suit him. We wouldn’t want it getting any worse. We’ll definitely walk the track, obviously.

“He’s a beautiful mover, he doesn’t raise his feet much.”

Auguste Rodin is joined by a trio of stablemates in Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale and Bolshoi Ballet.

While the latter pair are three-figure prices with some bookmakers, it would be dangerous to dismiss Luxembourg, who has won an Irish Champion Stakes and a Tattersalls Gold Cup at Group One level over a mile and a quarter and was second to Mostahdaf in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

He finished seventh in last season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his only previous outing over a mile and a half and O’Brien does not view the longer trip as an issue.

“Luxembourg is very straightforward. He’ll love a mile and a half and will get the trip very well. He’s very fit and everything has gone really well since the last day,” he added.

“It’s a race we were always looking at with him and we thought it was going to suit. He’s solid, has had his two runs and he’s ready.

“It’s a great race and that’s what everyone wants all the time, the best horses all together and then let it happen. That’s what we all want to see win, lose or draw.”

Ryan Moore has a couple of King George wins on his illustrious CV courtesy of Conduit (2009) and Highland Reel and of the O’Brien quartet has unsurprisingly sided with Auguste Rodin.

However, he feels all four are worthy of their place in a stellar renewal and is certainly taking nothing for granted.

“This is clearly as deep a King George as we have seen in a fair while, even with the absence of Desert Crown and three others from the five-day stage, and it is no exaggeration to say that they all have a chance of winning,” the jockey told Betfair.

“Obviously, some a lot more than others, as the betting tells you, but you couldn’t totally dismiss any of these, as the likely outsiders Bolshoi Ballet and Point Lonsdale are Grade One and Group Two winners respectively.

“We’d like to think Auguste Rodin is towards the top of the list of the most likely winners though, and he comes into the race on the back of his two Derby wins. Some crabbed the manner of his win at the Curragh last time but I’ll take a Classic success however it lands – and he did it comfortably enough anyway, from a very good horse (Adelaide River).

“It is probably fair to say his defeat of King Of Steel at Epsom reads a lot better, as the runner-up showed how good that form was when winning at Royal Ascot. That was a strong Derby, and we expect him to be very competitive here.”

Moore has steered Luxembourg to all three of his top-level wins and views him as a major danger, adding: “Luxembourg is also a proper Group One horse, just rated 1lb inferior to Auguste Rodin, and he has unfinished business at this trip after an inconclusive run in very deep ground in the Arc.

“A win for him wouldn’t surprise me at all, as I don’t think a mile and a half is an issue for him, but the same goes for the likes of Hukum and Emily Upjohn to name just two, a Classic winner in Westover and last year’s winner Pyledriver.

“This race is as good as it gets in recent years, certainly in terms of depth, but luck in running will play its part with 11 runners, and Luxembourg is drawn one and Auguste Rodin in 11, which may have their challenges – but you play the hand you are dealt.

“I’d be most wary of Emily Upjohn, who I probably think has the best form coming into the race after her second to Paddington in the Eclipse.”

Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel are among 11 runners declared for a star-studded renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.

Despite the late withdrawal of last year’s Epsom hero Desert Crown, Saturday’s Group One showpiece looks the race of the season so far, such is the depth of the field.

Aidan O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin saw off Roger Varian’s King Of Steel by half a length in the premier Classic in early June, with Auguste Rodin subsequently completing the Derby double in Ireland, while King Of Steel dominated the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

There is little to choose between the pair in the betting ahead of a highly anticipated rematch.

Joining them at the head of the market are the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, a dual winner over the course and distance and too strong for Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown when last seen, and John and Thady Gosden’s Coronation Cup winner Emily Upjohn.

The latter is the only filly in the line-up and will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who is chasing a record eighth King George success before his planned retirement later this year.

It is a measure of the strength of the race that defending champion Pyledriver is only fifth in the betting, despite an impressive return in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting.

Auguste Rodin is joined by a trio of stablemates in Bolshoi Ballet, Luxembourg and Point Lonsdale.

The other hopefuls are Melbourne Cup fourth Deauville Legend (James Ferguson), last year’s Irish Derby and recent Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud scorer Westover (Ralph Beckett) and five-time Group Three winner Hamish (William Haggas).

Michael Tabor, co-owner of dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin, feels a drop down to 10 furlongs for the Juddmonte International will feature “high on the agenda” for the colt, with the Breeders’ Cup Classic also a possibility at the end of the season.

A rare son of late Japanese champion Deep Impact, Auguste Rodin gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his 100th European Classic win when Ryan Moore’s mount downed stablemate Adelaide River in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday.

Owned in partnership with John and Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel’s Westerberg racing operation, Tabor’s famous royal blue and orange disk silks had previously been carried to victory at Epsom.

To some observers, his latest length-and-a-half success was unconvincing, a view Tabor agrees with.

He said: “I do think it is fair that people say he was only workmanlike. It wasn’t the fastest pace in the world, which didn’t suit him and when he hits the front, he only just does enough.

“I think and hope you’ll see a lot better horse when he runs next, let’s put it that way.

“Only time will tell, but people are right when they look at it, they were not impressed and that was the way it was.”

Having been the first horse since Harzand in 2016 to follow up victory in the Epsom blue riband, Auguste Rodin is a general 9-4 favourite to win the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 29.

While the prospect of a second clash with Epsom runner-up and subsequent King Edward VII Stakes winner King Of Steel and last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown looks a mouthwatering prospect, Tabor feels the three-year-old has the speed to drop back in trip.

He added: “He could go down in trip if it presents itself, but at the moment, if you go forward, what is he going to run in? If you do go down in trip, what race would he run in?

“The Juddmonte International would obviously be on the agenda. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a shot to nothing – that’s a tough one – but certainly the Juddmonte is high on the agenda.

“It’s a difficult call, but how long is it between the King George and the Juddmonte? It is about three and a half weeks (25 days). It’s enough time (for both races), I should think.

“Aidan knows what to do with the horses, but I would think that is a distinct possibility.

“He’s fast enough for 10 furlongs and the Breeders’ Cup is a possibility, for sure.”

Auguste Rodin gave Aidan O’Brien his 100th European Classic win as he fended off stablemate Adelaide River in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.

The Epsom hero was also a first winner in the race for Ryan Moore as he came home a length and a half clear, with Covent Garden ensuring a clean sweep of the places for the Ballydoyle team in third.

However, the race was marred by a serious injury to San Antonio, another O’Brien runner, who broke down badly on the turn for home, giving Wayne Lordan a nasty fall.

Adelaide River (4-11 favourite) set the pace under Seamie Heffernan with Moore happy to take a lead into the straight.

When he loomed upsides two furlongs from home it looked as if Auguste Rodin would go away and win impressively, but it was not until the final 100 yards that he eventually put the race to bed.

Auguste Rodin is the first horse since Harzand in 2016 to follow up victory at Epsom in the Irish equivalent.

Ryan Moore is not taking anything for granted ahead of his bid for a first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby success aboard red-hot favourite Auguste Rodin.

While trainer Aidan O’Brien is seeking a remarkable 15th victory in the Curragh Classic – and his 100th European Classic in total – it is one of the few top-level prizes that has so far eluded one of the world’s top riders.

Following victory at Epsom four weeks ago, Auguste Rodin is all the rage to complete the Derby double, a feat last achieved by Dermot Weld’s Harzand in 2016.

As usual, though, Moore is not getting carried away.

“His chance is obvious, as his price suggests, but there are few certainties in racing,” he told Betfair.

“I am sure the connections of the Epsom third and fourth, White Birch and Sprewell, will fancy their chances of at least getting closer to us on this more conventional track. And who is to say they won’t. Different day, different course, different result maybe.

“But everyone saw the real Auguste Rodin in the Derby, stepped up to a trip more in keeping with his superb pedigree, and everyone has seen how strong the form is with King Of Steel and Waipiro coming out and winning at Ascot

“If he runs up to the level of his form at Epsom, something is going to have improve markedly to beat him.”

O’Brien is responsible for more than half of the field, with Auguste Rodin joined by Epsom eighth Adelaide River, the 11th home San Antonio, last week’s Queen’s Vase seventh Peking Opera and Covent Garden completing his quintet.

The Ballydoyle handler’s two sons also saddle runners, with Up And Under out to provide Joseph O’Brien with his second Irish Derby as a trainer after striking gold with Latrobe in 2018, while his younger brother Donnacha is represented by Proud And Regal.

The field is completed by the aforementioned third and fourth from Epsom in John Joseph Murphy’s White Birch and the Jessica Harrington-trained Sprewell.

White Birch finished just over five lengths behind Auguste Rodin at Epsom, while Sprewell has seven lengths to find.

Auguste Rodin will face eight rivals in Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Following victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom four weeks ago, the Deep Impact colt bids to complete the double at the Curragh this weekend, a feat last achieved by Dermot Weld’s Harzand in 2016.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien is seeking a remarkable 15th Irish Derby success, while Auguste Rodin’s rider Ryan Moore is surprisingly yet to win the Group One contest.

O’Brien is responsible for more than half of the field, with Epsom eighth Adelaide River, the 11th home San Antonio, last week’s Queen’s Vase seventh Peking Opera and Covent Garden completing his quintet.

The Ballydoyle handler’s two sons also saddle runners, with Up And Under out to provide Joseph O’Brien with his second Irish Derby as a trainer after striking gold with Latrobe in 2018, while his younger brother Donnacha is represented by Proud And Regal.

The field is completed by the third and fourth from Epsom in John Joseph Murphy’s White Birch and the Jessica Harrington-trained Sprewell.

White Birch finished just over five lengths behind Auguste Rodin at Epsom, while Sprewell has seven lengths to find.