Sport

O'Brien happy with Australia

AUSTRALIA was on the drift for the investec Derby with one major bookmaker on a busy morning of Epsom news yesterday but the favourite's jockey Joseph O'Brien (right) remains excited about his prospects. O'Brien and his father Aidan became the first father-son combination to win the Classic in 2012 with Camelot, and Guineas third Australia heads a four-strong team from Ballydoyle on saturday afternoon.

Paddy Power eased Australia to a best-priced 5-4 but O'Brien jnr said: "i'm really looking forward to it. He's bred to stay the trip, bred to handle the track and bred to win the Derby which is what you need going to Epsom. "You need to have a horse with pace, balance and that will get the trip. It's a funny track to ride at times, with tattenham Corner and all the different things running down into the straight, it's the ultimate test of horse and rider. It's the race every jockey wants to win." Paddy Power reported a couple of weeks ago that "a racing insider told our representative at sandown that Geoffrey Chaucer absolutely smashed Australia in a Ballydoyle gallop" and the firm are not repenting.

Paddy Power said: "Pundits have yawned and called us 'the grandmasters of Pr flim-flam' about our statement on the possible merits of Australia and Geoffrey Chaucer. "But we're happy to take on the 'jolly', especially when Aidan is employing the scattergun approach of four runners."