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Chester Vase winner is also in the French Derby frame

Aidan O’Brien believes Sir Dragonet  is more likely to head for the Investec Derby than the French equivalent.

The Chester Vase winner, who was unraced as a juvenile but is unbeaten in two starts this season, is not entered in the Derby and will need to be supplemented at a cost of £85,000 on Monday.

Reports on Sunday suggested Sir Dragonet could instead go the Prix du Jockey Club instead of the Epsom Classic next weekend.

However, speaking at the Breakfast With The Stars event on Tuesday morning, O’Brien said: “I know France is an option, but I know the lads (owners John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith) and Epsom is always where they would want to be.

“No decision will be made until later, but if I had to have a bet on it, the lads would prefer to go to Epsom rather than France. They won’t make their mind up until the supplementary stage.

“Every horse that is born, bred and raised are trained to be there and I think that’s what the lads think. I can’t say for definite (that he will go), but I think that’s what they will be favouring.”

Sir Dragonet is just one of a host of Derby trial winners for O’Brien, with Broome, Circus Maximus and Anthony Van Dyke also on the Classic trail.

“To be fair to them, they’ve all done what has been asked of them. We were a little bit easier on the horses in their trials than we have been before. We ran them in their trials in a way you would think they would come forward from,” said O’Brien

“Mohawk ran very well at Chester. We are not sure if he will get a mile and a half, so it is possible he could go to France.

“I know they made their made mind up after Chester that Circus Maximus will go to Epsom over a mile and a half, and we felt he would come forward a good bit from Chester.

“Broome has had two runs and we have been very happy with him.

“Norway is another horse that ran at Chester and we thought he would get the mile and a half very well and he did. We rode him patiently at Chester, but the other horse (Sir Dragonet) just quickened better than him. He would probably go as well.

“Anthony Van Dyck is a horse we always thought would get a middle distance well.

“We were very interested in watching him run at Lingfield and Ryan (Moore) was very happy with him and that he got the trip well, even though on pedigree he should have plenty of pace for a mile and a quarter.

“Cape Of Good Hope is a horse that won at Epsom and he has come forward a lot.

“We thought Japan would improve an awful lot from the Dante. He was just going there to have a run and he did his first piece of work back this morning. You would imagine he would get a mile and a half well.”