Sir Dragonet Flies into Derby Picture with Chester Demolition

Just two weeks ago, Sir Dragonet was an unraced horse probably getting lost somewhere in the middle of the hundreds of animals that Aidan O’Brien has under his control. That has all changed now. The horse came out and won a maiden in very taking fashion two weeks ago, on his first ever visit to a racecourse. He won nicely that day, and looked as though he could be a nice individual, but his starting price of 12/1 on that occasion suggests that few new about him.

He was described both before and after the race by O’Brien as a big baby, and the plan to come to Chester with him was all about giving him experience. This horse at this stage isn’t in the Derby, although I expect that to change shortly. Gain experience is something he certainly did, as he powered away from a good field of horses in what is traditionally a very good Derby trial, winning the race in the fashion of a future Derby winner.

Unraced at two, this horse stands out from the crowd as being a little different, and based on that first race and his starting price, it is probably a fair guess to make that he doesn’t sparkle in his homework, he leaves everything for the track. His eight length victory yesterday showed that he has improved massively, and with just two runs under his belt, and all the vibes suggesting he I still learning, could we be seeing the early stages of an absolute superstar emerging here?

With Guineas winner Magna Grecia set to stay over a mile this year, the Coolmore Derby team does not have a leading contender. That is something they will be hoping to work out over the coming couple of weeks, with entries in many of the key trials. My bet is that regardless of what happens in those trials, this horse has already done enough to prove his worth in the field, and he will quickly be supplemented by the yard.

The antepost betting markets put him in as second favourite behind Too Darn Hot for the Derby, even though he doesn’t hold an entry. Over the next week or so, with Leopardstown, Lingfield and York to give us more clues about the Derby with their trials, I expect we will see a few more market moves, although don’t be surprised if this is the horse that sits at the top of the Ballydoyle pile.