Michael Stoute has admitted he would have preferred to have been able to give Workforce more experience ahead of the Investec Derby on Saturday.
The Dante Stakes runner-up, who has just two starts under his belt, is among a field of 12 declared for the blue riband Classic at Epsom.
However Stoute, chasing a fifth Derby triumph, still expects the King's Best colt to run well.
‘I'm just disappointed we didn't get two races into him. That was the original plan but in the spring he had a dirty scope and he wasn't really thriving with the weather we were having,’ said the Newmarket trainer.
‘He's a bit short on experience. He only had one race at two - a maiden - and then the Dante which was unsatisfactory really.
‘At Epsom they have to be sharp mentally, they have to go for the openings when they are available, but the good thing is there are only 12 runners and not 24. That's a help.
‘I took him to Lingfield for him to accelerate down the hill on a left-handed turn as he got the bit through his mouth at York.
‘I think that was a one-off, we will be able to eliminate that sort of thing.
‘He has sharpened up from his Dante race as one would expect. We are running him because we feel he is entitled to go there.
‘He has a chance, I couldn't say I'm confident because he lacks that additional race I would have liked him to have had.
‘He'll stay and I hope the ground isn't too quick,’ Stoute told At The Races.
Coordinated Cut was one place behind Workforce when third to Cape Blanco in the Dante and his trainer Michael Bell hopes his contender has improved from the run.
‘His preparation has gone very smoothly, he looks healthy and well and we are hopeful of a very good run,’ said the Newmarket handler.
‘He has been training very well and he blew hard after the Dante, so I'm hoping there is some improvement to come.
‘Obviously seeing is believing and we will see on Saturday if that is correct.
‘It's a relatively small field for the Derby so I don't think there's much significance in the draw (nine). They should be able to sort themselves out over a mile and a half with only 12 runners.’
Workforce's owner Prince Khalid Abdullah has a strong second string in the shape of the Henry Cecil-trained Bullet Train.
He won the Lingfield Derby Trial in which Hot Prospect finished third and the latter's trainer Michael Jarvis admits there are question marks about the trip.
‘He's an outsider but he's a nice horse in his own right and we'll see how good he is,’ said Jarvis.
‘His form suggests he's got it all to do but he'll love the ground.
‘The trip could be a little bit of an unknown as he's out of a mare that gets quite fast horses, but he's by a Derby winner (Motivator), which would give you hope he'll stay.
‘I'd be very happy if he finishes in the first five.’
The Derby dozen is headed by Aidan O'Brien's hot favourite Jan Vermeer.
The Montjeu colt landed the Gallinule Stakes on his first start of the campaign and a combination of that performance and the defection of his stablemate St Nicholas Abbey has seen him shoot him to the head of ante-post lists.
While O'Brien has taken out St Nicholas Abbey, Dante winner Cape Blanco and Bright Horizon, Ballydoyle will still be well represented with At First Sight and Midas Touch joining the market leader.
The Godolphin camp appear have a decent hand as Saeed bin Suroor saddles Al Zir, the mount of Kieren Fallon, while new trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni runs both Rewilding (Frankie Dettori) and Buzzword.
John Gosden's Azmeel and Ted Spread from the Mark Tompkins stable complete the field.
