Aidan O'Brien's Derby conundrum wasn't solved by Bolshoi Ballet win

Before Bolshoi Ballet thrust himself to the forefront of the Derby market with his runaway win in the Derrinstown at Leopardstown, the trials had been a bit of a mess.

Aidan O’Brien was struggling to find a bona fide Derby horse, John Gosden certainly didn’t appear to have one and the bookmakers were making a different horse favourite every ten minutes or so.
At Lingfield on Saturday Third Realm was the latest to come from nowhere into prominence, but his victory seemed to shock all those connected with him.

For starters the owner’s retained jockey went to Ascot to ride in a handicap rather than get on Third Realm in a Derby trial, while the trainer Roger Varian didn’t even mention the horse in a stable tour he did the month before.