Aidan O'Brien is a genius - but Auguste Rodin bucking history in the Derby would be one of his greatest feats
'Never say never', is the mantra when it comes to Aidan O'Brien and the Derby but the more you scour the history books, the more apparent it becomes that it would be among the trainer's finest achievements if he produces Auguste Rodin to triumph in Saturday's Classic.
That might seem an illogical statement considering Auguste Rodin spent all winter at the head of the Derby betting and O'Brien talks about the son of Deep Impact as though he is some kind of extraterrestrial.
With eight wins in the race, no trainer has more Derby victories on their CV than O'Brien, which isn't bad going considering it is generally acknowledged to be the ultimate test of a thoroughbred. Two of his last three winners managed to defy odds of 25-1 and 40-1, so winning with a horse currently priced at 4-1 might also seem unremarkable.
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