RACING/Epsom Derby /The Irish invasion: An English reporter in Ireland during the week had a novel suggestion for today's Derby.

"You should just run it at the Curragh and be done with it. Travelling down the road would be so much easier for everyone," he said. "We'll just transfer the Queen over and you'll be away!"

As wind-ups go, there have been few more outrageous ones heard on the racecourses of the world. Except convenience could never substitute for the uniqueness of the world's most famous classic race.

The Irish contribution to the 224-year history of the Derby has been immense: 13 actual winners with any number of victorious jockeys and horses bred here.

Never has that influence been felt more than in the last three years. But Derby 2003 is something else again. Today is off the map and into entirely virgin territory.

Never before has a British classic been so dominated by visitors. With the first four horses in the betting trained in Ireland, the consensus is that the home team are there merely to make up the numbers.

Of course such expectations have a habit of crashing down around punters' ears. But even in one of the few major international sports where Ireland is recognised worldwide as a leader, this is extraordinary.

"It's colossal, that's the only word to use. It's like having the four major contenders for an Olympic 1,500-metre final coming from the same place," says Michael Osborne.

As a former senior steward, head of the National Stud, racing advisor to Sheikh Mohammed, chairman of Goffs, and avid Kildare football fan, the worldly-wise Osborne's stretch for an appropriate perspective is illustrative.

The point isn't lost on the participants either. Ireland's top three trainers have a history of international achievement that is recognised around the globe.

Dermot Weld has been a pioneer of the growing internationalisation of racing with victories in the Melbourne Cup and in the Belmont Stakes exactly 13 years ago. But the Derby can still exert a very special hold.

"I would say this is important for Ireland," Weld says. "The Epsom Derby is one of the great sporting events in British life, and has been for centuries."

Weld has yet to win the Derby but in Refuse To Bend he has the one proven classic colt in the race.

Aidan O'Brien, in contrast, is going for a historic three in a row with a four-strong team that includes the likely favourite, Brian Boru, and the possible dark horse Alberto Giacometti.

John Oxx has just the one string to his bow but since his only previous Derby runner was Sinndar in 2000, Alamshar's presence alone is enough to shout his chance.

Together they represent as potent a classic team of horses as has ever left this country. But why should all this happen now? "The standard in Ireland has never been better, in terms of both horses and personnel, and that has been evolving over the last number of years," Weld says.

"This isn't something that has just happened, and it's not going to go away.

"This is based on firm roots, and thanks to support from Government, we are yielding the fruits of hard work."

Oxx agrees about the importance of the Government's support for the racing industry and the impact it has made.

"There is an incentive to invest in horses now and there is more money about. As a result there are bigger strings on the Curragh now than I have ever noticed before.

"That doesn't affect betting on the Derby but I think it is symptomatic of the upswing and Government support is an obvious part of that," he says.

Oxx takes a different view of the future, however, and dismisses talk of such apparent dominance being repeated regularly.

"I've only ever had one Derby runner before so I'm not going to be there every year, and Dermot hasn't had too many either.

"Ballydoyle is the major driving force and I think it is a very unusual picture this year with so few English horses in the picture. That doesn't mean they won't fight out the finish though. All this is only in the betting. It's the result that counts," Oxx declares.

Weld, Oxx and O'Brien have confirmed their ability to get the result to go their way when it really counts.

Oxx may be typically modest about the future but when it comes to today the bookmakers bring a clarity of view that means you can have the entire field of English-trained horses running for you at 9 to 4 to win. There don't appear to be many keen on taking up the offer.

"With the possible exception of Magistretti, who won the Dante, there don't appear to be too many in contention," Michael Osborne says before providing another explanation for this remarkable Derby.

"These are three of the best trainers we've had in years and they have significant backing. Aidan has Coolmore, which is able to buy the best bloodlines and has the financial clout to give him the pick of the world.

"John trains for the Aga Khan, who is probably the best individual breeder of middle-distance horses in the world, and Dermot has an international group of investors that are willing to go anywhere in the world to succeed.

"We are talking about three very ambitious people who all have very good horses in what looks to be a unique year. I certainly can't remember anything like it," he adds.

Neither can anyone else. Vincent O'Brien won six Derbys but never invaded Epsom with the depth of numbers his young successor at Ballydoyle has done.

And when MV was in his pomp, he rarely had such depth of competition from his own back yard.

No, Derby 2003 means turning the map over and getting to work on an entirely blank page. And even those with negligible interest should get a kick on seeing how it is filled in.