THE apparently ubiquitous, and seemingly ever prosperous, “each-way thieves” must have been licking their collective lips at the prospect of a Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh today with eight or nine runners and an odds-on chance in Jack Hobbs.

That one has the best claims judged on his second to super-fast timer Golden Horn at York then Epsom but has shown slight waywardness and may be worth taking on.

With distance doubts about Highland Reel, it could be that Giovanni Canaletto will come out best of the O’Brien contingent back on this galloping track and improve enough to get into the shake-up this time.