Aidan O'Brien on Luxembourg's progress and his possible Irish Oaks runners

Luxembourg, Ballydoyle's number one Derby contender before injury intervened, is being targeted at next month's Royal Whip Stakes as trainer Aidan O'Brien cranks up preparations for a horse whose midsummer absence has left the stable without a flagbearing three-year-old colt.

The son of Camelot spent the winter at the top of the Derby market and was as short as 7-4 before being ruled out with a muscle issue in early May.

Luxembourg overcame a tardy start to finish an encouraging third in the 2,000 Guineas behind Coroebus, but his progress was stalled when it emerged days later that he had suffered an injury at Newmarket.

A tilt at the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on September 10 remains his main autumn target, and O'Brien has revealed he is now looking at the Royal Whip, staged at the Curragh on August 13, for his prep run ahead of the marquee Group 1.

"Luxembourg is back in work and we're happy with him so far," O'Brien said on Monday. "We have our eye on the Royal Whip with him at the moment."

The Group 3 has an illustrious roll of honour, with O'Brien's ten winners including High Chaparral, Fame And Glory and Found. While the trainer has spoken in glowing terms of Luxembourg, who capped an unbeaten juvenile campaign with Group 1 success in the Vertem Futurity Stakes at Doncaster, he is keen to take it one step at a time with him as he continues his recuperation.

"We're just going to see how it goes with him now," he added. "We still have a bit of time to go but the Royal Whip is what we have in mind for him."

Aidan O'Brien: 'She came out of the Irish Derby really well and we were happy with her'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

O'Brien also said a decision has yet to be made on whether Tuesday will seek to reassert her Epsom superiority over Emily Upjohn in Saturday's Juddmonte Irish Oaks.

The regally bred daughter of Galileo has since finished fourth to Westover in the Irish Derby, and O'Brien is going to wait until later in the week to decide if she will again lock horns with the John and Thady Gosden-trained Epsom runner-up.

Emily Upjohn is a general 4-7 shot to atone for her Epsom near miss, when she finished second, beaten a short head, after stumbling out of the stalls. Tuesday is a top-priced 4-1 to hold sway once more.

"We won't be finalising anything until the middle of the week. We're just going to see how Tuesday is and what way the ground and everything is going to be," O'Brien said.

"She came out of the Irish Derby really well and we were happy with her.

"It's not long since she ran and we're just trying to give her as much time as we can to really finalise it."

Should Tuesday run she would be contesting her fifth Classic of the season following her Derby fourth and Oaks victory after she finished third in the 1,000 Guineas and second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Thoughts Of June, a well-beaten ninth in the Oaks, is likely to be in the mix for O'Brien in the mile-and-a-half contest at the Curragh on Saturday, although Concert Hall is expected to skip the race after finishing fourth in the Belmont Oaks at the weekend.

O'Brien said: "Concert Hall was in America so she probably won't go. Thoughts Of June is a very strong possibility. This was always in her programme after Epsom."

Paddy Power: 4-7 Emily Upjohn, 7-2 Tuesday, 5 Magical Lagoon, 12 Above The Curve, 14 Thoughts Of June, Tranquil Lady, 16 bar

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