The Lion In Winter, Delacroix and Lambourn are set to form Aidan O'Brien's team for the Betfred Derby on Saturday week.
The trainer has two other colts pencilled in for the French Derby at the weekend and when asked on Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast what his Epsom thoughts were at this stage, he replied: "I suppose the horse that won the Vase in Chester, the horse that won the Derrinstown at Leopardstown and obviously The Lion In Winter is right there in the mix as well. Everything has gone well with him since York so him, Delacroix and Lambourn I suppose."
The former is back at the head of the market for the Classic despite being beaten on his reappearance in the Al Basti Equiworld Dante Stakes, and the trainer feels it's a straight choice between him and Delacroix for stable jockey Ryan Moore - but it will be a late call.
“I’d imagine it probably is but obviously Ryan doesn’t have to decide until 12 o’clock on the morning they’re declared and I’d imagine that’s what he will do.
"Obviously Delacroix, in two preps looked very nice and proper and everything is good with him. Even though we’d probably have preferred a stronger-run pace the last day you can’t ask him to do any more than what happened," he continued.
“With The Lion In Winter, you’d often rather get beat and everything go wrong in a trial than win and everything go right, if you know what I mean. That’s exactly what happened in York and Ryan treated it as a total trial so yes with every day that goes by, the fog will start to lift and the picture will clear a little, but at the moment you’d have to say it’s definitely between both of them for him and he’ll see their work, where they’re drawn and then he’ll decide."
When asked about his own input into the riding decisions, O'Brien added: “We always discuss everything and Ryan will ask what we think, everything is always discussed but we’d never go against what Ryan wants to do really."
Plans are also firming up for the Prix du Jockey Club while Puppet Master and Stay True, first and second in the Lingfield Derby Trial, have separate targets at Royal Ascot.
“Camille Pissarro looks the main one at the moment (for the French Derby). He was third in the French Guineas then there’s Trinity College who was second in the Epsom trial. It looks at the moment like both of those will go," the trainer said.
“At the moment the two horses from Lingfield might go to Ascot for the mile-and-a-half (King Edward VII) and the mile-and-six (Queen’s Vase), I think that’s what the lads are thinking at the moment.”
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