Derby favourite Military Order's prep has been 'faultless' and he can find even more improvement - Charlie Appleby

Charlie Appleby believes Betfred Derby favourite Military Order is "marginally in front" of his full brother, 2021 Epsom hero Adayar, at the comparative stage of their respective careers.

Military Order has won both starts this season, a novice race at Newbury last month followed by Lingfield's Derby Trial, whereas Adayar finished second in his two pre-Derby runs – including the same Lingfield trial.

Adayar was consequently sent off at 16-1 for his Classic win, whereas Military Order is a best-priced 7-2 to follow in his brother's footsteps.

He is Godolphin's only remaining entry in the Derby and Appleby, who knows what it takes to win at Epsom having landed two of the last five editions of the race thanks to Adayar and 2018 victor Masar, said: "I've only left Military Order in the race on the back of his win in the Lingfield Derby Trial which I was very pleased with. He has come out of that race well and it is all systems go hopefully into a Derby now. His preparations have been faultless to date and he ticks a lot of boxes as they say."

Speaking to Jockey Club Racecourses, who run Epsom, he added: “At the end of the day you have to say his profile is most similar to Adayar given they are brothers, although Adayar wasn’t a black type winner going into the Derby, he had been placed in the Classic Trial at Sandown Park and the Lingfield Derby Trial.

"It was a completely different ball game with Masar, who was a Group winner at two and three even before he went into the Derby, so I couldn’t put them in the same sort of profile. As respects to Military Order and his brother I would say he is marginally in front of him and he is a worthy favourite on what we have seen to date."

Military Order gets the better of Waipiro at LingfieldCredit: Mark Cranham

On his trial win, which took place on the all-weather rather than the turf after the race was switched due to bad weather, Appleby said: "Everyone is allowed an opinion at the end of the day and some people will say it was only an all-weather win at Lingfield. What I loved about it, and the most important part that I took out of the race, was when William [Buick, jockey] made that manoeuvre for a mile and a half horse, and a horse of his stature, he did it very effortlessly.

"A lot of horses can get tangled around Lingfield whether it be on the turf or the all-weather coming down that hill into that turn. They can sometimes need time to find their legs and he did it very quickly and smoothly.

"The Dante was the last key trial to the Derby picture. I’ve always felt going into the Dante if you had a horse go and win by two or three lengths he would have been a Derby favourite. If you run well or just win in it you justify being in the Derby and being in the first half dozen in the betting and that is what it has proven.

"It was, as always, a competitive race but there wasn’t a winner of that stature therefore it has left the Derby very open. I do genuinely feel he has still got that potential to find more improvement over the mile and a half and he is going in there as one of the least exposed horses at the top of the market."

Betfred Derby (Epsom, June 3)

Coral: 3 Military Order, 9-2 Auguste Rodin, 6 Arrest, 7 Passenger, 10 The Foxes, 12 Sprewell, 14 Waipiro, White Birch, 16 Dubai Mile, 20 bar

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