LONDON, (Reuters):

Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has lined up no fewer than eight of the 19 expected runners in Saturday's Epsom Derby in an attempt to foil Frankie Dettori on the hot favourite AUTHORIZED.

Dettori has won big races all over the world, but the Derby has eluded him in 14 previous attempts and he may never have a better chance than on AUTHORIZED.

The Italian has missed some days racing since hurting a knee in a fall last Friday, but was due back in action late on Thursday at Sandown.

AUTHORIZED, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, had top juvenile form last year and earlier this month the colt underlined his credentials with an impressive victory in York's Dante Stakes, a reliable classic pointer.

AUTHORIZED is now 4-5 in the betting, but O'Brien, who won the Derby with GALILEO in 2001 and HIGH CHAPARRAL in 2002, is unmoved.

He saddles Acapulco, Admiralof-thefleet, Anton Chekhov, Archipenko, Eagle Mountain, Mahler, Soldier Of Fortune and Yellowstone with a battalion of jockeys, including Mick Kinane, waiting in the wings.

Second favourite

Kinane's likely mount Archipenko is 7-1 second favourite after his

victory in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, another race to throw up more than its fair share of Derby winners.

The historic two-day meeting starts on Friday (today) when former champion trainer Henry Cecil seeks to end a long spell in the doldrums by winning the Oaks, the Epsom classic for fillies, with 7-4 ante-post favourite PASSAGE OF TIME .

Cecil has won the Oaks seven times but not since 2000 when Love Divine triumphed. Passage of Time (7-4 favourite) and the fast-improving Light Shift (5-1), do battle for him this time round.

Latest betting:

DERBY: 4-5 Authorized, 7-1 Archipenko, 8-1 Aqaleem, 12-1 Eagle Mountain, Soldier of Fortune, 16-1 and upwards others.