Imperial Monarch: cut to 20-1 from 25-1 for the Investec Derby
PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)Imperial Monarch reigns supreme in Classic Trial
Report: Sandown, Saturday
bet365 Classic Trial (Group 3) 1m2f, 3yo
IMPERIAL MONARCH, under a virtuoso ride from Joseph O'Brien, ploughed a lone furrow to come from a detached last to win the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown.
Ladbrokes cut the 11-8 favourite to 20-1 from 25-1 for the Investec Derby for which his stablemate Camelot is favourite.
O'Brien had walked the track before racing with his father AidanO'Brien, who trains the Galileo colt for Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.
The winning rider said: "The ground was bottomless and barely raceable down the inside but we found it was nicer ground down the wide outside in tyre tracks from the ambulance or whatever and the ground was more compact.
"This horse is uncomplicated and although I was six or eight lengths behind them into the straight he picked up and hopefully will keep improving."
When Thought Worthy led the other two runners on the traditional rails racing line, O'Brien went as wide as possible in the back straight and stayed there right round the horseshoe bend into the straight in a soundly-run 1m2f trial.
Fully six lengths behind into the last three furlongs, Imperial Monarch powered up the hill in the last furlong and a half to reel in Thought Worthy, who hadwon the battle with Rougemont on the other side of the track to win by a length and three-quarters.
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