O’Brien still believes Pierre Bonnard is in Derby picture

Aidan O’Brien has warned punters not to give up on Pierre Bonnard as he starts to firm up plans for his team of Derby contenders.

The Camelot colt was at forefront of the ante-post betting for the premier Classic during the winter months, having signed off his juvenile campaign with a Group One success in France.

His Epsom credentials took a hit after he was beaten into seventh place as a hot favourite for his reappearance in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown earlier this month, a defeat which saw his stablemate Benvenuto Cellini usurp him as Derby favourite with some bookmakers.

While the latter is set to make his seasonal debut at either Epsom or Chester in the coming weeks, Pierre Bonnard will head back to Leopardstown for another Derby trial and O’Brien is optimistic he will show his true colours on May 10.

“Don’t lose faith in Pierre yet,” O’Brien said during a press event at Ballydoyle on Monday morning.

“Benvenuto was always very close to Pierre in the Derby market anyway in our mind, but for Pierre things just went wrong and it was just a start off (in the Ballysax Stakes).

“He had to have two runs. If we were being very cautious we wouldn’t have run him and just given him a racecourse gallop, but you’re always better to run if you can.

“He’s going to go back to Leopardstown and we think he’s going to leave that run well behind him.

“He’s a big, powerful horse and we think he’ll come back.”

Other O’Brien-trained colts in the Derby reckoning include Hawk Mountain and Action, who were first and second ahead of Benvenuto Cellini in third in last year’s Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.

Having missed last week’s Craven Stakes at Newmarket due to the drying ground, Hawk Mountain could be rerouted to a Derby trial in France, while Action is set to be the stable’s representative in the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown.

One horse who may have been underestimated in light of Pierre Bonnard’s Ballysax no-show was the surprise winner Christmas Day, who will be given the opportunity to further state his Classic case at York next month.

O’Brien added: “Christmas Day might go to the Dante, so we’ll see what he’ll do then.

“He was always a very solid horse and the plan last year was to run in a Group One in France, but he got a temperature and couldn’t go.

“We always liked him and we think that (York) will work well for him.”

The trainer also provided further clarity on his current thinking for his plans for the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

While insisting nothing is set in stone, O’Brien reiterated his stance that Puerto Rico is now set to assume the position of his chief contender for the 2000 Guineas, with Gstaad in line for the French equivalent and Albert Einstein likely to revert to sprinting after finishing third in the Greenham on Saturday.

Of the much-vaunted Albert Einstein, he said: “Everything about Albert said ‘I’m fast’ and he wanted to be fast. We were always trying to slow him down because it’s easy to rev him up.

“I think we’re going to train him for the Guineas, but there’s every chance he could go to Haydock for the Sandy Lane.

“Everything with him is about trying not wake him up too much, but I think if he went back sprinting that could be real fireworks.”

The trainer is increasingly hopeful Precise will win her race to be fit for the 1000 Guineas, in which case her stablemate Diamond Necklace will wait for the ParisLongchamp version the following week.

True Love has already displayed her well being this spring by making a winning return in a Group Three at Leopardstown and while there are stamina doubts for the daughter of No Nay Never, she too remains in Guineas contention.

“I was very impressed with her in Leopardstown, she went wide and travelled strong and got the seven furlongs well,” O’Brien added.

“She could go to France. Ryan (Moore) is not convinced about the mile with her yet, but Andrew Balding had an older filly (by No Nay Never) that got a mile well (Alcohol Free), so it is possible.

“We’re thinking that she could go to France if Precise goes to Newmarket, unless the lads want her to run at Newmarket as well.”