AIDAN O’Brien sends four runners to Belmont’s big meeting this evening and has excellent prospects of bringing home another Grade 1 winner.

Coral Beach and Just Wonderful line up in the Belmont Oaks but face stiff competition from the top US turf three-year-old fillies headed by last year’s impressive Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf winner Newspaperofrecord.

Cape Of Good Hope and Blenheim Palace, the latter reappearing quickly after finishing second to Buckhurst at the Curragh on Saturday, look to have a better shout in the Belmont Derby.

O’Brien won the race with Deauville in 2016, Hunting Horn was third last year behind Catholic Boy, and the trainer’s tally amounts to a win, a second, and two thirds from six starters in the race.

Wayne Lordan rides the apparent Ballydoyle first strings in both races – Just Wonderful in the Oaks and Cape Of Good Hope in the Derby. Mick Hussey takes the mount on Coral Beach in the Oaks and Blenheim Palace in the Derby. Hussey went close to springing a surprise on Hunting Horn in a US Grade 1 at Belmont in May..

Cape Of Good Hope won the Blue Riband Trial in his three-year-old debut at Epsom in May. He was then fourth in the Prix du Jockey Club but was only 10th in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot. A repeat of his French run could see him go close. Blenheim Palace’s best form should also give him a chance if this does not come too soon as he beat Sovereign in the Derrinstown Derby Trial when second to Broome.

The US top turf trainer, Chad Brown, yet to win the Belmont Derby, saddles four runners, two of whom are unbeaten – Demarchelier and the likely favourite Digital Age. Both horses are three for three in their careers with a graded stakes win on their most recent start. Demarchelier won the same prep race here as the most recent two Derby winners, Catholic Boy and Oscar Performance.

The international contenders are completed by Japan’s Master Fencer, who finished fifth in the Belmont Stakes and sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Also among the 14-horse field is Brendan Walsh’s UAE Derby winner Plus Que Parfait, who was eighth in the Kentucky Derby.

Superstar

Belmont Oaks favourite Newspaperofrecord looked a superstar when winning last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf by over six lengths. She has yet to win in her two starts this year, suffering defeats to two of today’s rivals in Concrete Rose and her stablemate Cambier Parc last time.

The speedy daughter of Lope De Vega was odds-on favourite in both races and set the pace but was caught late in both contests. Another to consider is Olendon , a recent import to the US and she was beaten by a length in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp in May.

The daughter of Le Havre will race under the name of trainer Pascal Bary, but will be transferred to Chad Brown and continue racing in the US.

Older horses

The Grade 2 Suburban Handicap is one of the top US races for older horses and, with the older horse division having no obvious star, last year’s Belmont Derby winner Catholic Boy can stake a claim for top honours. The colt is a Grade 1 winner on both surfaces and won the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga last year after his success here. He reappeared at Pimlico this summer and won a Grade 3 on turf.

The Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes features the reappearance of Code Of Honour, who was second in the Kentucky Derby and won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier in the year.