Luxembourg Out of Derby With Injury, Return in Autumn

Aidan O'Brien has announced that longtime ante-post favorite Luxembourg  is out of next month's Cazoo Derby (G1) at Epsom Downs after suffering a muscular injury.

The Ballydoyle trainer revealed May 6 that last year's Vertem Futurity Trophy (G1) winner, who had been as short as 7-4 for the Derby, had met a setback and faced a race against time to be fit for the June 4 Epsom classic.

Subsequent tests have laid bare the extent of the injury suffered by the 3-year-old Camelot  colt, who finished third in the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas Stakes (G1) on his seasonal comeback. He now faces a spell away from the track before a planned return in the autumn.

"He won't run in the Derby," O'Brien said. "The tests revealed he has a muscular issue behind and he will need a month to six weeks of box rest to let it heal. We have to do the right thing by the horse and the plan is to have him back for the autumn."

The news is a significant blow at the end of a sensational week for O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore, who still have a strong Derby squad to fall back on after dominating the week's major trials.

It did not take long for the void left by Luxembourg's absence to be filled, as Stone Age  was slashed to 3-1 favoritism for the Derby after a commanding victory in Leopardstown's Derby Trial Stakes (G3).

He leads the market ahead of stablemate Changingoftheguard , who was cut from 50-1 and is now 9-2 second choice after an authoritative victory in the May 4 Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (G3), while  Homeserve Dee Stakes winner Star of India  and Lingfield's SBK Derby Trial winner United Nations are also Derby trial victors prominent in the betting for Ballydoyle.

"On the day it was announced that Luxembourg will miss Epsom, another of his stable companions shot to the head of the betting with a dominant display in the Leopardstown Derby Trial," Betfair spokesman Barry Orr said. "Stone Age is now 3-1 favorite from 10, and furthers tightens Aidan O'Brien's grip on the Derby.''

The Sir Michael Stoute trained Desert Crown is the leading British hope in an Irish-dominated market, and he will put his Derby credentials to the test in the May 12 Dante Stakes (G2) at York, where he looks set to line up as favorite.

The son of Nathaniel  is a general 6-1 shot for the Epsom showpiece, and he will bid to emulate Golden Horn , the last horse to do the Dante-Derby double in 2015. 

P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes (G3) winner Piz Badile , trained by Donnacha O'Brien, is still strong in the market at a general 8-1, while Godolphin's hopes of back-to-back Derbys may lie with Lingfield trial runner-up Walk of Stars.