Aidan O’Brien is odds-on favourite to win his seventh Derby after sending out winners of all four of the major trial races in the last week.

Sir Dragonet got the ball rolling for the Ballydoyle team when taking the Chester Vase last Wednesday. Chester is O’Brien’s go-to course to teach horses prior to taking on Epsom, and Sir Dragonet, a son of 2012 Derby winner Camelot, could hardly have been more impressive on just his second ever start.

Prior to that, he had only won his maiden two weeks before at Tipperary, where he was allowed to start at a price of 14/1. By all means this colt has come from nowhere, so much so the Coolmore partners hadn’t entered him in the Derby and will need to spend a £85,000 supplementary fee to get him in. Considering he is the 3/1 favourite with most bookmakers, that looks a formality.

O’Brien’s most recent trial winner was Broome, who took the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday. The son of Australia raced a little lazily but ultimately won comfortably and booked his Derby ticket in the process. The mile and a half around Epsom could really suit his style.

O’Brien’s other trial winner also came at Chester, Circus Maximus overcoming stablemate Mohawk to win the Dee Stakes

This followed success for Anthony Van Dyck in the Lingfield Derby Trial on Saturday, O’Brien reported the horse had suffered a setback before the race and would definitely come on for the run. O’Brien’s other trial winner also came at Chester, Circus Maximus overcoming stablemate Mohawk to win the Dee Stakes.

It all means that the Ballydoyle trainer is in a superb position going into the Derby, with four horses at 8/1 or below. One of those horses, Japan, is set to run in the final Derby trial today [Thursday] at York, the Dante Stakes. He is set to take on John Gosden’s champion two-year-old Too Darn Hot, who many will be looking to as the only horse who can provide some sort of opposition to the Ballydoyle bandwagon.

Treble

Elsewhere last weekend, Dermot Weld’s Hazapour, fifth in last year’s Derby, made a successful return in the Group 3 Amethyst Stakes. He was the middle leg of a treble for the Aga Khan at Leopardstown on Sunday. Baladiya picked up nicely to win the opening six-furlong maiden and more significantly, Hamariyna took the 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes. However she is another that will need to be supplemented, at a cost of €40,000 (for the Irish 1000 Guineas) if connections are keen to go for a classic.