GALILEO’s son Russian Emperor put himself in the Derby picture following his win in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes. He was bred by a partnership that includes Coolmore and Lauri Macri. The latter is a former chairman of the Australian Jockey Club and he raced Russian Emperor’s dam in partnership with Coolmore.

Russian Emperor has entries in the Irish Derby, at Epsom, and in the French Derby. With the rejigged schedule now it is anyone’s guess where he might go. If his rate of improvement continues, he would have to be one of Ballydoyle’s leading contenders for a trip to Surrey. After all, the winning post at Epsom remains the ultimate target for the world’s leading breeding conglomerate.