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Small but select field for Derrinstown

Aidan O'Brien saddles half the field in the Derrinstown
Aidan O'Brien saddles half the field in the Derrinstown

Aidan O'Brien's duo Midas Touch and At First Sight feature among a field of just four runners in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.

The Ballydoyle handler has saddled seven of the last 12 runners of Sunday's Group Two contest, including subsequent Epsom Derby winners Galileo (2001) and High Chaparral (2002).

Midas Touch makes his first appearance since finishing fourth behind stablemate Jan Vermeer in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud and is the choice of stable jockey Johnny Murtagh.

At First Sight was narrowly beaten into second in last month's Ballysax Stakes over this course and distance.

Speaking on www.coolmore.com, O'Brien said: ‘Midas Touch is in good form, he is just ready to start back.

‘We re-routed him from the Dee Stakes in Chester as Mikhail Glinka won't make the Derrinstown due to a bruised foot.

‘At First Sight is well also, he ran a nice race the last day when finishing second in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

‘We hope he has improved from that run and that he runs a good race on Sunday.’

Reiteration is unbeaten in two starts in 2010 and represents Jim Bolger, who saddled St Jovite and Perfect Imposter to successive Derrinstown wins in 1992 and 1993.

Dermot Weld's Address Unknown, fifth in the Ballysax Stakes, completes the line-up.

Pat Smullen will get the leg up on Address Unknown and he is confident he can build on that Ballysax performance.

‘He's a nice horse and I had no luck on him in the Ballysax at all,’ the jockey told At The Races.

‘I got down on the inside and got no racing room at all and it was a messy race as they didn't go much pace.

‘He's a progressive horse and I expect him to run well but Aidan usually runs one of his better horses in this race, so even though there's only four runners, it will be tough and competitive.’

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