Aidan O'Brien's hopes of landing the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh have been dealt a blow with the news US Army Ranger is out due to an unsatisfactory scope.
The colt, who finished second to Harzand in the Investec Derby at Epsom earlier this month, had been an odds-on favourite to reverse that form in the Curragh Classic.
However, O'Brien has ruled US Army Ranger out of the race, leaving Ryan Moore to partner Epsom third Idaho as the stable's main hope.
The trainer said: "His scope just wasn't 100% clean today. It was a routine scope. Obviously it's a big pity.
"He'll have a little rest now and we'll see where we go from there."
Most bookmakers now make Harzand and Idaho their joint-favourites, although Harzand himself is not a certain runner at this stage, with Dermot Weld saying a final decision on his participation will not be made until the last minute.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby will be shown live on RTÉ One this Saturday.
