RACING: Dalakhani, the unbeaten French Derby winner, has been given the green light to try and double up in the Budweiser Irish Derby.
The brilliant colt will bid to follow in the footsteps of Montjeu (1999), Dream Well (1998), Old Vic (1989) and Assert (1982) who have completed the Chantilly-Curragh double in the past.
Significantly Dalakhani will be joined in the race by the other top Aga Khan-owned colt Alamshar who ran third to Kris Kin at Epsom last weekend.
Alamshar's trainer, John Oxx, said yesterday: "You can take it that the intention is for both horses to run in the Irish Derby. That's the plan at the moment but we will have to see what happens in the meantime."
Oxx added: "His Highness had to think about it over the weekend but it is the obvious race for both of them. It's not as if there is some alternative." The Aga Khan consulted both Oxx and Dalakhani's trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre about running plans although very soft ground could be a problem for both colts.
Ireland's premier Classic will be run in 18 days time and could yet feature a clash between the winners of both the French and Epsom Derbys.
The Epsom hero, Kris Kin, will have to be supplemented into the race and Aidan O'Brien has already declared that his Epsom Derby runner-up The Great Gatsby is likely to head the Ballydoyle challenge at the Curragh.
Meanwhile, O'Brien indicated yesterday that Hawk Wing's preferred Royal Ascot option could be the one mile Queen Anne Stakes.
The brilliant 10-length Lockinge winner also has the choice of the Prince Of Wales's Stakes over a mile and a quarter but despite no final decision having been taken the shorter race is starting to look favourite.
"He won over a mile at Newbury so obviously at the moment it looks a little bit more likely that he'll run over a mile rather than a mile and a quarter.
"But we don't want to decide for definite just yet in case the ground comes up soft or anything else changes," O'Brien said.
The Ballydoyle trainer is putting the finishes to what will be a powerful Ascot team but described the two-year-old colt Colossus, who won on the opening day of the season, as just a "possible" for next week's festival.
Before then O'Brien will be represented at Leopardstown tonight where the feature is the Eircom Ballycorus Stakes.
The Group Three gives Great Pyramid a chance to temporarily slip out of the shadow of his famous brother Rock Of Gibraltar. Great Pyramid has largely played bit parts in contests such as the Dewhurst and the Grand Criterium but ran a decent race in his own right to be fifth in the Irish Guineas. He led to three out that day and the furlong less tonight should help.
