Camelot: one of the stars of Aidan O'Brien's strong squad for 2012

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)  

Flying O'Brien could match Frankel's tally

WORLD CLASS: an analysis of the international scene according to Racing Post Ratings

Aidan O'Brien never has a bad year but this is getting silly.

Both Newmarket Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks, the Coronation Cup and the Derby. These are races the Ballydoyle trainer targets every year and in 2012 he's won them all.

It's one of the brightest starts to the season imaginable, but after Camelot's success in the Derby it sets up the possibility of even more.

If Camelot wins the St Leger at Doncaster in September he would become the first Triple Crowner winner since Nijinsky in 1970 and set up an unprecedented clean sweep for O'Brien: all five British Classics in one year.

There is also a world record on the line. The most worldwide Group/Grade 1 wins in a year stands at 25, held by the late Bobby Frankel.

O'Brien trained 20 G1 winners last year, but had just four at this stage of the season and in 2008, when he registered his biggest ever total of 23, he had trained six after Derby weekend. This year he's on schedule for his biggest ever haul with seven Group 1 wins in the bag already.

On top of his fast start to the season, what makes the world record achievable this year is the number of aces he has going forward in the Classic division and among his older horses - Frankel only knows how good his juveniles are.

Here are where his Group 1 wins could come from:

SO YOU THINK

Could go for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and also expected to take in the Coral-Eclipse in July before shipping back to Australia for the southern hemisphere breeding season. He was within a whisker of winning both races last year and could bag O'Brien a couple more G1s.

Frankel probably won't run in the Prince Of Wales's or the Eclipse so Cirrus Des Aigles looks the main threat. Running a pacemaker may have been So You Think's undoing at Royal Ascot last year and you wouldn't want to put a pacemaker in against Cirrus Des Aigles - the way to beat him is in a sprint finish off a slow pace.

So You Think used to have a tidy turn of foot in Australia. He hasn't had the opportunity to show that in fast races in Europe, but off a steady pace you would have to fancy the New Zealand-bred.

ST NICHOLAS ABBEY

As discussed in World Class this time last year, there aren't many Group 1 options in the European calendar over 1m4f, so St Nicholas Abbey looks likely to go for the King George and Arc again. He posted a career-best RPR of 127 when winning the Coronation Cup on Saturday and he could get a little closer in those races this time round.

He still has that useful finishing speed and almost got to Cirrus Des Aigles in Dubai, so he is on the verge of making a breakthrough at championship level (which the Coronation Cup isn't).

Now he's proved his class, connections may release the grip and step him up in trip for the Irish St Leger, or perhaps try him down in trip at 1m2f if stablemates and Frankel allow.

CAMELOT

The Derby is the race O'Brien prizes higher than any other. He's had five placers in the last six years and the vibes were that this year he would break the sequence of might-haves and maybes with his first winner since High Chaparral in 2002.

The Classic crop didn't appear to have an outstanding talent until this fella stepped up to what looks likely to be his optimum trip in the Derby on Saturday.

The son of Montjeu posted an RPR of 127+ for his five-length success and that figure puts him miles ahead of every other three-year-old in Europe (a middling bunch without a clear second choice). It also means he should hold his own against older horses, some of which are real stars.

The Irish Derby and St Leger should be his for the taking with a repeat of his best RPR of 127 and he stayed on well enough to suggest the trip at Doncaster will not pose a problem.

Having won the Guineas and Derby some fairly lofty comparisons are already flying about, but we won't know how good he is until he meets some of the best older horses, or until the three-year-old form plays out a little more.

The 2,000 Guineas has not worked out at all well. Maybe the Derby will, or maybe it won't need to and he'll do the hard work himself.

Frankel comparisons at this stage are ridiculous. Camelot doesn't have that much ability (it is extremely rare), although if we're playing Top Trumps he already scores higher on the versatility scale.

The placement of Camelot's stablemates So You Think and St Nicholas Abbey will leave the three-year-old with limited options outside the Irish Derby, Irish Champion and the St Leger.

His end-of-season target will be interesting: Champion Stakes, Arc or Breeders' Cup Classic? Being a son of the late Montjeu, he has already booked himself a place at Coolmore. They don't need him to succeed on dirt, so the Classic is the least likely.

EXCELEBRATION

Will chase Frankel's coattails whenever he meets him over 1m, but when Sir Henry Cecil's colt steps up in trip Excelebration should capitalise in his absence.

If Frankel goes to the Champion Stakes, he could bag the Queen Elizabeth II and if Frankel stays in Britain, as seems inevitable, there will be options abroad for Group 1 success.

He landed the Moulin at Longchamp last September and a return there is possible. Elsewhere in France there is also the Jacques Le Marois (1m) and the Prix de la Foret (7f).

AMERICAN RAIDERS

The States played a large part in O'Brien's 2011 tally, providing seven of his 20 global G1 winners. He has already mentioned a US target for Daddy Long Legs (Secretariat Stakes) and more transatlantic trips will be on the agenda.

Treasure Beach won the Secretariat last year and he could make a return journey to the same meeting to take in the Arlington Million, which was won by Cape Blanco last year.

Later in the campaign the Breeders' Cup team will come together. St Nicholas Abbey looks an obvious candidate for the Turf, while Excelebration may be considered for the Mile.

OTHERS

Fame And Glory was a three-length winner of the Ascot Gold Cup and is favourite to win that again and Power (St James's Palace Stakes) has as good a chance as any in an open three-year-old 1m division.

Ballydoyle always enjoy top-flight success with their two-year-olds. They had five G1 juvenile winners in each of the last two years.

With seven down, O'Brien needs 18 more Group 1 winners to match the late Bobby Frankel's record and he's got six months of international world-class racing to do it.

If the wind continues to fill the sails of the good ship Ballydoyle as it has until now he will surely go close.

The best race on the dirt last week came at Belmont Park on Monday, when Shackleford (124) held on to land the Metropolitan Handicap by a nose from the staying-on Caleb's Posse (126).

It was a career-best performance from Shackleford.

Caleb's Posse has come out best at the weights in his three starts in 2012, despite finishing a close but determined second every time. It is a small concern (even at the weights) that he is struggling to get his head in front. But kudos to the handicapper.

TOP OF THE CLASS: Camelot 127+ Aidan O'Brien (Ire) (Investec Derby, Epsom, 1m4f, June 2)

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