Tag: Epsom

Multiple Arrests But Derby Off On Time 

Thirty-one protesters were arrested at Epsom on Saturday for attempting to disrupt the Derby, including 12 in the grounds, 11 during early-morning raids on residential addresses, and another eight in a vehicle close to Epsom. 

A male protestor from the pressure group Animal Rising was rapidly apprehended after breaking onto the Epsom track near the two-furlong marker shortly after the Derby runners had jumped from the stalls, while a woman was handcuffed on the ground after attempting to jump the fence from the grandstand side while the race was still in progress. 

A spokesman for Surrey Police said, “We can confirm that 31 people have been arrested in connection with planned criminal activity at the Epsom Derby Festival this afternoon.

“Eleven people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours, following warrants based on intelligence received ahead of the Epsom Derby Festival. A further eight people were arrested after their vehicle was stopped on Canons Lane in Burgh Heath at around 10.20am this morning. All were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and remain in police custody.

“A total of 12 people have been arrested within the Epsom Downs racecourse since the event began this morning, also in connection with planned criminal activity. One man was arrested after he ran onto the racetrack after a race had started. He was quickly removed by event security and police officers, meaning the race was not disrupted.”

Chief Superintendent Clive Davies added, “Our officers and event security responded quickly and decisively after a man ran on to the racetrack after a race had begun.

“We will not tolerate criminal behaviour which puts lives in danger, including those of the animals, jockeys, security staff and our officers.”

Eight days prior to the Derby, the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs Racecourse among its portfolio of 15 tracks in Britain, was granted a High Court injunction to outlaw intentionally disruptive behaviour during the two-day race meeting, which was conducted amid significantly heightened security and an enhanced police presence. In the lead-up to the Derby, the protest group Animal Rising had publicly threatened to halt or delay the race. The protesters had been offered a place near the entrance to the racecourse to conduct a peaceful protest.

“Our security teams and the police acted swiftly and decisively to remove an Animal Rising protester who entered the racetrack after the Derby had started and while the race was being run,” said Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of The Jockey Club.

“This reckless and illegal behaviour which threatened the safety of our equine and human athletes is a breach of the High Court injunction which The Jockey Club obtained last week and prohibits trespass. The court order provides a clear route to prosecution, fines and even the threat of prison for Contempt of Court and we will now take steps to enforce that.”

He continued, “Animal Rising have repeatedly stated that they would not attempt to disrupt any races while in progress and we utterly condemn their deplorable and mindless actions today.

“The Derby was first run in 1780 and has continued despite two world wars, the COVID pandemic, and a number of other extreme challenges. That the 244th running of the race was able to take place on time today is testament to the determination of everyone to stage one of British sport's most iconic and loved events.”

The post Multiple Arrests But Derby Off On Time  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Derby Glory For Deep Impact’s Auguste Rodin

Bouncing back from his disappointment in the 2000 Guineas, TDN Rising Star Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}–Rhododendron {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) conquered Epsom's undulations to carry off a ninth G1 Betfred Derby for Aidan O'Brien. Sent off at 9-2 as the punters dallied over this year's favourite, the G1 Futurity Trophy winner was kept back from the early action by Ryan Moore worse than mid-division. Launched wide as the 66-1 shot King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}) cut loose approaching two out, the bay took until the last 100 yards to wear down Amo Racing's seasonal debutante but forged ahead late on for a half-length success.

There was a 4 3/4-length gap between the Roger Varian-trained runner-up, who had trailed Auguste Rodin by nearly 10 lengths when last seen at Doncaster, and White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) with the unlucky-in-running Sprewell (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) beaten another 1 3/4 lengths in fourth. Predictably, Frankie's final Derby ride Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was sent off the 4-1 favourite, but after racing prominently could only manage 10th. The winning time of 2:33.88 was 1/10 second away from that recorded by Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in Friday's G1 Coronation Cup and almost three seconds faster than the Oaks.

“He's totally unique,” the master of Ballydoyle commented after witnessing the completion of the great turnaround. “All the people in Coolmore have made this happen–it's all credit to them. He came with a massive reputation as a beautiful horse, but he kept stepping up to all the markers all the way which is very unusual. He's out of one of the greatest Galileo mares by the greatest stallion ever in Japan.”

 

“Ryan actually said he'd have preferred a lot stronger pace there and he had to quicken twice,” O'Brien added. “Everything fell against him in the Guineas, but he came out of it great which was a massive thing and every day in his work he was just getting better and more and more confident. Ryan gave him an incredible ride–he was so cool, as he knew the pressure was on him but he had a free hand going out.”

“It was Ryan who rode him last February when he was a 2-year-old and had said he was very special, so you can imagine what he was like then,” O'Brien concluded. “His movement has always been spectacular–he has such an economical way of going and is very different. We always felt he was the most special horse we have had at Ballydoyle. These type of horses come here and if they're good enough, we often have a look at the Irish Derby but the lads make all those decisions and all the options are open to him.”

Introduced over seven furlongs at The Curragh a year and two days before his Blue Riband heroics, Auguste Rodin had looked desperately unlucky to miss out on a debut win as he met serious trouble in running against the subsequent G2 Beresford S. winner Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}). Handed his TDN Rising Star badge at Naas a month later, he proved that award to be justified with wins in Leopardstown's G2 Champions Juvenile S. and Doncaster's Futurity and entered the 2000 Guineas surrounded by all the clamour and hype that Triple Crown talk generates.

In the event, the Newmarket Classic descended quickly into calamity for the Rosegreen contingent, but the past experience of the likes of Power (GB) and One Cool Cat served as a reminder that this stable's class acts can very quickly regain kudos following a dismal display there. Seven days after the fire within fellow Guineas flop Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) was successfully rekindled at Haydock, it was Auguste Rodin's turn to provide a personal renaissance at the track that is the most unforgiving of any weakness.

If luck was against Auguste Rodin at Newmarket, it was on his side here as he was handed the famous stall 10 which housed Friday's Oaks winner Soul Sister (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and from which Shahrastani, Reference Point (GB), Nashwan, Quest For Fame (GB), Generous (Ire), Galileo (Ire), Sir Percy (GB), Ruler Of The World (Ire) and Masar (Ire) all emerged. Settled back down the field as his stablemates Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and San Antonio (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) took over from Arrest and Frankie, the eventual winner was able to coast throughout an uneventful first mile and ended up in the Soul Sister position out wide and out of trouble entering the straight.

As the obligatory scrimmaging took place to his inner passing three out, with the runners still tanking from the downhill section onto the crazy camber, Sprewell was the one to hit the wall as happens virtually every year with Shane Foley finding the door abruptly shut. Either side of Jessie Harrington's stricken colt, Ryan Moore was going through the gears while Kevin Stott somehow managed to launch the enormous King Of Steel through the tight spaces and into the clear.

A colt the size of the runner-up should have been compromised by this terrain, but King Of Steel proved surprisingly athletic and nimble as he skipped away from the pack and his only serious pursuer two out. If Stott's Derby dream was alive and kicking for over a furlong, it was dying as Moore arrived alongside with his inimitable drive. Whether the last 100 yards was about Auguste Rodin's superiority or King Of Steel's lack of match practice will only be known when the pair encounter each other again, but this was the day of Ballydoyle's beau ideal who avenged the defeat of his dam in the 2017 Oaks.

Ryan Moore, who was garnering a third Derby, said, “We landed in a smooth spot and I was always confident I had them covered. It turned in to a bit of a dash and he was a bit babyish, but I just had to get into him in the last furlong there and he responded very gamely. He's done that quite cosily, I think.” Paying tribute to the training performance, he added, “He's the only man that could do it. I've seen him get horses back. There have been horses that have run bad in the Guineas and have come back like Roderic O'Connor and even Qualify ran bad in a Guineas and came and won an Oaks. Aidan can just do things.”

Roger Varian said of the runner-up, “He ran a terrific race, but I'm gutted really. I'm delighted with the way he behaved and his performance and I think he's a good one, but this is a bittersweet moment. Credit to the winning team and credit to mine, as he came here in great shape.” Stott added, “There are a few emotions as you hit the front in the Derby and I'm kicking myself a bit as to whether I went to the front too early. Then again, the fact that he hasn't had a run this year might have caught him out in the last 50 yards. We were beaten by a very good horse and there are better things to come I'm sure.”

George Murphy said of White Birch, whose antics at the start proved at least some of his undoing, “He just hesitated again at the gates and got himself into a difficult position, but ran a blinder and Colin [Keane] gave him a great ride considering how it played out early on. He galloped all the way to the line, so if all goes well I'd say the Irish Derby will probably be the plan. We're going to have to try and work on his starting and it's going to have to improve–he's not worried about it, he just gets a bit excited more than anything and we're over the moon just to have a horse like him.”

Pedigree Notes

Auguste Rodin, who is one of his remarkable sire's 59 top-level winners, is the first foal out of the five-times group 1-winning champion Rhododendron who was able to land a Lockinge at a mile and beat all bar Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) over this course and distance. This is one of the best pedigrees anywhere, with the second dam the excellent Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) who captured three at this level including the Irish 1000 Guineas and who also provided connections with Galileo's outstanding Magical (Ire), the seven-times group 1 winner.

Halfway To Heaven is out of the multiple group-winning sprinter supreme Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), whose other black-type winners include the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sandown Sprint S. scorer Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G3 Summer S. winner Theann (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire). Tickled Pink produced the stable's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), while Theann is responsible for Galileo's GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo S. heroine Photo Call (Ire) and the G2 Richmond S.-winning first-season sire Land Force (Ire). Next up from Rhododendron is a colt foal by Dubawi (Ire).

Saturday, Epsom, Britain
BETFRED DERBY-G1, £1,561,950, Epsom, 6-3, 3yo, 12f 6yT, 2:33.88, g/f.
1–AUGUSTE RODIN (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
     1st Dam: Rhododendron (Ire) (G1SW-Fr, MG1SW-Eng, GSW & G1SP-Ire, GISP-US, $1,786,763), by Galileo (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Halfway To Heaven (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
     3rd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
TDN Rising Star. O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £885,782. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 6-4-1-0, $235,895. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–King Of Steel, 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Eldacar (GB), by Verglas (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Amo Racing Limited; B-BCF Services LLC (Bonne Chance Farm LLC) (KY); T-Roger Varian. £335,819.
3–White Birch (GB), 128, c, 3, Ulysses (Ire)–Diagnostic (GB), by Dutch Art (GB).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (75,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 48,000gns RNA Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Mrs C C Regalado-Gonzalez; B-Cheveley Park Stud Limited (GB); T-John Joseph Murphy. £168,066.
Margins: HF, 4 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.50, 66.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Sprewell (Ire), The Foxes (Ire), Waipiro (Ire), Artistic Star (Ire), Adelaide River (Ire), Dubai Mile (Ire), Arrest (Ire), San Antonio (Ire), Passenger, Dear My Friend (GB), Military Order (Ire).

The post Derby Glory For Deep Impact’s Auguste Rodin appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Multiple Arrests in Pre-Dawn Raids on Derby Day

Police acting on intelligence received in connection to potential disruption at the Derby at Epsom have arrested 19 people in pre-dawn raids on Saturday.

According to Surrey Police,11 people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours of the morning following warrants being issued.

A further eight people were arrested after a vehicle was stopped in Burgh Heath, close to Epsom Downs, at about 10.20am.

The arrests were made on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and the 19 people remain in police custody.

Last Friday, the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs Racecourse among its portfolio of 15 tracks in Britain, was granted a High Court injunction to outlaw intentionally disruptive behaviour during the two-day Derby meeting, which is being conducted amid significantly heightened security and an enhanced police presence. In the lead-up to the Derby, the protest group Animal Rising had publicly threatened to halt or delay the race, which this year is being run at the earlier time of 1.30pm to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final.

The post Multiple Arrests in Pre-Dawn Raids on Derby Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Frankie’s Fillies Light Up Ladies’ Day

EPSOM DOWNS, UK–It was a chill wind, rather than an ill wind, that blew across the Downs as the early birds arrived at Epsom. The drive to Surrey had been peppered by racing popping up on the Radio 4 news, and that's rarely a good sign. Animal Rising may be chaotic in its reasoning but, with its threats of disruption, the protest group has done a good job of grabbing attention in the run-up to the Derby. Sure enough, there it was again, on repeat on the hourly bulletins.

The racecourse always comes as a bit of a surprise as suburbia gives way to the wide open space which, for almost 250 years, has held tightly its most prized asset. Those cambered bends of one of the world's most extraordinary racecourses are accompanied by a shining white grandstand resembling a cruise liner marooned on the turf. It's a startling sight on any day and by Friday morning it was encased by barricades: Fortress Epsom standing ready to repel those whose sole intent wasn't simply to enjoy a bloody good day at the races.

On cue, the sun emerged mid-morning to aid tens of thousands of racegoers in that pursuit. Eve Johnson Houghton and Anthony Bromley know how to unearth a value buy at the yearling sales and, after Chipotle (GB) and Streets Of Gold (Ire), the stable has another precocious youngster to take them and the members of the Woodway 20 syndicate to more big days out. Bobsleigh (Ire) (Elzaaam {Aus}) shot down the straight to win the Woodcote like he was on the Cresta Run. After tackling the weirdness of Brighton then Epsom with aplomb, Ascot will seem like a doddle.

This was Ladies' Day. In fact, it was Lady Bamford's day, and the only moment the smile slipped from the face of the diminutive owner-breeder of the Oaks winner Soul Sister (GB) was when Frankie Dettori tried to lift her off her feet and spin her round in the winner's circle. 

For Lady Bamford it was a second Oaks success after Sariska (GB), for Dettori a seventh, the first of which came almost 30 years ago with Balanchine. Will he retire to bed tonight thinking 'what the hell was I doing announcing my retirement?' He won't be the only one questioning that decision, if indeed he is. 

The indefatigable jockey had already given one masterclass aboard Emily Upjohn (GB) to win the G1 Dahlbury Coronation Cup, setting up the first half of a memorable Group 1 double for John and Thady Gosden. The runners-up of last year's Derby and Oaks went toe to toe down the hill for home, with the only certainty being that one of them would once again have to settle for second. Westover (GB) gave way, perhaps not graciously, to the powerhouse that is Emily Upjohn, now resplendent in the huge frame that once made her a backward-looking yearling deemed worth a bid that was half the price of her illustrious sire's covering fee. She's showing them now. 

Last summer, an early morning July Course gallop for Emily Upjohn, and the sudden appearance of Dettori to ride her, was the first sign of a rapprochement between the jockey and John Gosden, a temporary parting of ways having ensued in the wake of a few irksome results at Royal Ascot. Whether it was that public chiding or merely his wish to go out on top that first prompted Dettori's thoughts of retirement, he will certainly be granted the latter. He already has two British Classics under his belt this season and, as his twin triumphs on those glorious fillies at Epsom show, he remains very much in his pomp as a rider.

He is still the public's darling, too, and boy does racing need a figure of such recognisable vibrance right now.  “I'll have a few quid on Frankie,” said the lady on the paddock rail to her friend before the Coronation Cup. She wasn't the only one with thoughts of backing Frankie blind. By late afternoon on Friday, the plunge on Dettori's Gosden-trained Derby runner Arrest (Ire) had gathered pace to push him to the head of the market past Auguste Rodin (Ire). A Frankie-Frankel Oaks-Derby double would certainly help to propel racing to the front pages for all the right reasons, providing that's the only prominent Arrest at Epsom on Saturday. 

There's a saying that goes 'show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser'. But when you own a share in a stallion who has contributed in a homebred filly running third in the Oaks, then you are entitled to feel pretty cock-a-hoop, as Steven Smith and Andy Lloyd of Hunscote Stud did by late afternoon. Their battler of a filly, Caernarfon (GB), had already belied her odds to run fourth in the 1,000 Guineas and now here she was again, challenging the favourite Savethelastdance (Ire) for second on the line in the biggest fillies' Classic of them all.

“Her sister was bulletproof, and she's bulletproof,” said Smith of Caernarfon and her Group 3-winning sibling Dan's Dream (GB), both daughters of Cityscape (GB).

“She's small, she's agile, she doesn't appear to need much work. She just didn't quite get the trip,” he added, before turning to the subject of a potential run in the marginally shorter Prix de Diane.

“A physical specimen she is not but, like all Cityscapes, she has a good mind and she tries. And if you have those two things in a racehorse you have a chance.”

A major share-holder in Cityscape, a former resident of Overbury Stud who is currently in Argentina, Smith is already musing the return of the Juddmonte-bred son of Selkirk.

“We found out today that she is a 10-furlong horse and we can crack on,” he said. “She goes on soft as well, so there are plenty of options. She floats. I have a video of her galloping and I draw a line and look at her eye and her eye doesn't move. Whatever is happening down below is very smooth and economical. She's like Seb Coe. Why did he win? Because of his action. She has an amazing action.”

The beaming owner-breeder then brought the conversation to a close with, “Right, I'm off to get hammered.” And with the uplifting thought that last year's Oaks third Nashwa (GB) went on to win the Prix de Diane, he has no need to drown any sorrows.

The post Frankie’s Fillies Light Up Ladies’ Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights