Camelot will face just six rivals in his bid to become the 16th horse to complete the Epsom and Irish Derby double at the Curragh on Saturday night.
Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten colt, who will be ridden by the trainer’s son, Joseph, will be joined by Ballydoyle duo Astrology (Seamie Heffernan) and Imperial Monarch (Colm O’Donoghue), with stablemates Daddy Long Legs, Father Of Science and Learn not declared.
There was only one other defection, John Oxx’s Call To Battle, but the trainer will still have two runners in the race.
Stable jockey Johnny Murtagh is aboard Born To Sea with William Buick to ride Akeed Mofeed.
Last year’s Beresford Stakes runner-up Akeed Mofeed will be having his first start of the season in the Dubai Duty Free-sponsored Classic.
Completing the field, as expected, are Jim Bolger’s Ballysax and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes winner Light Heavy, and the Dermot Weld-trained Speaking Of Which, who took the Gallinule Stakes at the course last month in impressive fashion.
The Curragh was hit by substantial rain on Wednesday night, but general manager Paul Hensey expects the weather for the rest of the week to be good enough to prevent testing conditions.
“I have spoken to the Met Office and the forecast looks good for the next few days. It’s bright and breezy at the moment and the course should start to dry up,” Hensey said.
“I’d expect the ground to start up as soft for the start of the Derby meeting on Friday and hopefully be good to soft by the weekend.
