Talking Horses: New London’s Derby hopes dented by Changingoftheguard

Aidan O’Brien put at least a temporary brake on the Charlie Appleby bandwagon here on Wednesday, as a 33-1 double in the afternoon’s Classic trials improved his hand for both the Derby and Oaks while putting a large dent in the Derby credentials of New London, beaten at 4-11 behind Changingoftheguard in the Group Three Chester Vase.

New London, in Godolphin blue like all of Appleby’s runners, went into the race unbeaten in two starts and on offer at around 5-1 second-favourite for the Derby on 4 June.

Two-and-a-half minutes and one comprehensive defeat later, he was out to 16-1, having visibly failed to answer the questions that the Roodee poses to an inexperienced three-year-old. “No excuses,” William Buick, his rider, said afterwards. “He’s still got a lot to learn.”

Changingoftheguard, by contrast, was sent straight into the lead by Ryan Moore and pounded around Chester without a second thought, eventually pulling six-and-a-half lengths clear at the line. He is now top-priced at 12-1 (from 50-1) for the Epsom Classic, in a market headed by his stable companion, Luxembourg, who finished third in the 2,000 Guineas last Saturday.

“We were delighted with that run,” O’Brien said from Ireland afterwards. “I think off the back of that, you’d have to say he’d go to Epsom now.”

Luxembourg and Changingoftheguard are unlikely to be O’Brien’s only Derby entries, as the stable expects to be represented in all the major Epsom trials over the coming days at Chester, Lingfield, Leopardstown and York.

The Ballydoyle squad for the Oaks also received a boost as Thoughts Of June, a 7-1 chance, kept finding more on the run-in to beat Above The Curve – trained by his son, Joseph O’Brien – in the Listed Cheshire Oaks.

Above The Curve, a