In a finish much more tense than promised, the 4-11 favourite ultimately pulled out enough to beat Adelaide River by 1 1/2 lengths, while the 80-1 outsider Covent Garden (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) completed a remarkable eighth Irish Derby one-two-three for Aidan O'Brien 2 1/4 lengths away. This was a 15th success in the race for Aidan O'Brien and a landmark 100th in Classics for the master of Ballydoyle, but for Moore it was a welcome first Irish Derby.

“I've had a lot of disappointment in this race, but Aidan had said to me that Mick Kinane didn't win until Galileo so maybe I just needed a good one to win it,” the rider said after a tactically challenging steering job. “It wasn't a straightforward race. There's a big headwind down the back and a gale blowing behind you in the straight, they went very steady for the first half of the race and my horse was always in a gear too low. I'd have liked something to go on a stride quicker, I wanted to go around Wayne and then had to switch back in and the horse in front was getting a very easy time. I had to go to him early and this is a horse who when he gets to the front tends to wait a bit.”

– –

He gives Aidan O'Brien a 100th European Classic victory with @DDFRacing Irish Derby success. A first winner in the race for Ryan Moore @curraghrace#オーギュストロダン | #ディープインパクト | #競馬 pic.twitter.com/y3mzgDjUtL

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 2, 2023

This renewal came down to being on or near the front end, which can be no surprise to anybody who has witnessed the races that had preceded it during the three-day Irish Derby festival. It was therefore a surprise that White Birch's jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle opted to negate the rare advantage of his mount breaking on terms by restraining him towards the back and handing the favourite a four-to-five length advantage.

Even before San Antonio's unfortunate breaking down four out, it was clear that White Birch was completely misfiring and the fact that he and Sprewell were caught up in the resulting melee had little to no impact on the result. Two out, Auguste Rodin seemed to comfortably have the measure of the pace-setting Adelaide River but all the evidence of the past few days is that Aidan O'Brien's 3-year-old crop are finally getting to their peak. Some of those that were quiet in the spring are leaping forward now and Seamie Heffernan was on one who had made significant strides over the past month.

A few strides after the two pole, the body language of Moore and Heffernan offered marked contrast and as they went to the furlong marker it seemed possible that Adelaide River could rally for the upset. While Auguste Rodin hanging down towards the rail may not have affected the result, the overhead film showed clearly that the eventual runner-up was compromised by the intimidation more than once and the winning margin may not be the whole story. All that said, with the non-Ballydoyle contingent so far away from what was required here was a case of yet another Irish Derby resembling no more than a taxing work morning at Rosegreen.

The very real scare that Adelaide River posed in the closing stages outlines that for most of this stable's leading lights, the danger often lies within. Just as we learnt as the Derby also-ran Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) came back to demolish the Blue Riband hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) four years ago, the yard's battalion members gathered in Kildare can never be discounted. As well as Sovereign, O'Brien's other Irish Derby heroes who took major steps forward from Epsom include Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Frozen Fire (Ger) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Adelaide River, who had top juvenile form having placed three times in pattern races including the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, was just following past precedent.

Aidan O'Brien, who had been at pains to stress on Irish Champions Day last year that Auguste Rodin has the tendency of his high-class dam Rhododendron to pull up in front, has always pointed to the Irish Derby as a true and fair test with no excuses. Ryan Moore was offering more complex feedback after this year's winner had crossed the line with ears flicking every which way to the collective exhale of relief from all the cliff-jumping punters.

“When there is a tailwind on the inner track it's not as straightforward as people think,” he said. “You can get different results with a proper wind like today and while the form will look questionable it's just that circumstances conspired against him. He didn't have the opportunity to give me the feel he had at Epsom because the circumstances were different, but he still won–he's done what he had to today and wasn't blowing and didn't turn a hair, so there is plenty more to come. He gets a mile and a half well, but I think he would be fine at ten as it always felt like they were going too slow for me which indicates he'll be fine coming back in trip.”

Of the trainer's milestone moment, Moore offered his usual measured insight. “Aidan will tell you that it's everyone else and it is, in that it is such a big team effort, but there's a reason you get these results,” he added. “I have a good idea what makes him different. He's seriously driven and wants the best the whole time. The amount of work he does is quite incredible. People talk about 'genius' and 'attention to detail' and there is that, but there's also another layer and I'm privileged to see it. Probably a lot of people wouldn't understand it.”

O'Brien gave his own slant on the outcome, which was the 19th time the Derby-Irish Derby double had been achieved. “The Curragh is very fair and very straight forward and one of the best facilities in the world, but it didn't go right in any part of the way today with the wind blowing them sideways going down the back and the lads in front going a gear too slow,” he said. “We wanted a strong, even pace but Ryan felt he was just in two gears too low. He said he was on auto-pilot the whole way up the straight and never clicked in at all and when he got to the front, he was all starry-eyed.”

“We knew that the second horse and Wayne's horse would handle this course much better than Epsom and it wasn't a surprise that Adelaide River ran much better,” he added. “It looked workmanlike and that's the fact of it, but Ryan was very adamant that there is so much more in there and we look forward to him the next day. Where that will be depends on the lads and we'll see in a few days.”

Pedigree Notes

Auguste Rodin's pedigree has been well dissected by now, with his dam Rhododendron winning the G1 Lockinge S. at a mile and the G1 Prix de l'Opera at 10 furlongs and finishing second in the Oaks. She is out of Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), another Curragh Classic heroine having mastered the Irish 1000 Guineas before adding the G1 Nassau S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. to her tally. Rhododendron's full-sister Magical (Ire) was successful seven times at the highest level, including in two renewals of this track's Tattersalls Gold Cup and a Pretty Polly S.

The third dam is the multiple group-winning sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), also responsible for the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sprint S. scorer Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) who in turn produced last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), and the G3 Summer S. winner Theann (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire) who produced 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). Rhododendron's colt foal is by Dubawi (Ire).

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,250,000, Curragh, 7-2, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:33.24, gd.
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)
O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs.J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €725,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, 7-5-1-0, $2,129,776. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Adelaide River (Ire), 128, c, 3, Australia (GB)–Could It Be Love, by War Front. O-Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €250,000.
3–Covent Garden (Ire), 128, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Inca Princess (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire).
1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Westerberg,Mrs J Magnier,M Tabor,D Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €125,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2 1/4, 5HF. Odds: 0.36, 33.00, 80.00.
Also Ran: Peking Opera (Ire), Up And Under (Fr), Sprewell (Ire), Proud And Regal (Ire), White Birch (GB). Also Ran (DNF): San Antonio (Ire).

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Incredibly, Ryan Moore is looking for a first renewal of this Classic and said in his Betfair blog, “If he runs up to the level of his form at Epsom, something is going to have improve markedly to beat him. I am sure the connections of White Birch and Sprewell will fancy their chances of at least getting closer to us on this more conventional track. And who is to say they won't. Different day, different course, different result maybe. But everyone saw the real Auguste Rodin in the Derby, stepped up to a trip more in keeping with his superb pedigree and everyone has seen how strong the form is with King Of Steel and Waipiro coming out and winning at Ascot.”

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Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin said, “Our title sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is in line with our global strategy of promoting both our own duty-free brand and the city of Dubai itself. We have successfully sponsored the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for the past 15 years and we are happy to extend our sponsorship, with an increase in prize-money, and look forward to working with the Curragh to grow this event even further.”

Curragh CEO, Brian Kavanagh said, “We are delighted to announce this extension to the Derby sponsorship and the increase in prize-money for the Derby itself. We are also very pleased that Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day has been selected as a Tote World Pool event and excited about the switch back to a Sunday which will allow the three-day Festival to build up to its feature race.”

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Westover and Colin Keane storm to victory in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby! ?? @curraghrace @DDFRacing | @RalphBeckett | @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/I1xgX3gfDe

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 25, 2022

Westover may have been in the wake of Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at Epsom, but his abundant progress from a narrow G3 Sandown Classic Trial success was there for all to see and his run through the race was the main talking point away from the impression made by the winner. Handed one of the worst draws possible for the mile-and-a-half Derby start, the imposing bay emerged from that disadvantage to put up a barnstorming effort which was profoundly disturbed by the well-documented trouble he met just as the Stoute colt was passing by and out of reach. A work-in-progress as a juvenile, his one attempt at black-type proved unsuccessful when second in deep ground in Pontefract's Listed Silver Tankard S. but it did show how relentless he is when he gets rolling.

This performance was the culmination of all that learning process and it is rare that a Classic of this stature could be predicted with such authority such a long way out. While Ryan Moore was too far behind to ever enter into a battle, there was little that could be done once Keane had taken up the position behind the race's surprise package French Claim. Watching the Juddmonte silks virtually motionless turning for home, it was clear that the writing was already on the wall and the rest of the straight was just an avenue for an exhibition of galloping to compare with the likes of Old Vic (GB), St Jovite, Zagreb, Montjeu (Ire), Sinndar (Ire), Galileo (Ire) and Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling).

For Ralph Beckett, the win was a landmark one in his career training for the mighty breeding operation. “It is a hugely important moment for us–I can tell you where I was when I heard that Juddmonte were going to send us a draft and it's an honour and a joy to train for them,” he said. “It's a big day for us. This track suits him and it's wonderful to get it done. It was an effort we weren't expecting, so we are delighted. Everything had gone to plan–he had travelled over and settled in really well and it felt like we had got all our ducks in a row coming here and so it proved.”

“I was delighted with him at Epsom–it wasn't his or anybody's fault that he ran into traffic, but to do this today in the manner he did was very impressive. His brother [Fabilis] was exactly the same–he got better with racing and this horse will too. He has a great temperament and that shone through today. He's going to develop from three to four, never mind through the rest of the year, you would think. I'll have to discuss his next run with the family, but it's a good discussion to have. The King George is the obvious race for him, it's just whether we think it's the right thing for him at the time. The great thing is he's not ground-dependant–he'll handle slow ground as well. He's just very uncomplicated.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Tuesday, “It was a funny race and Ryan said she never got into it. The first, second and third sat there and noone made up any ground. I wouldn't take anything away from the first, second or third and the winner was very impressive, but we think she's better than that. We tried and competed and it didn't work today.”

Juddmonte Farms UK General Manager Simon Mockridge told Great British Racing International, “It was a scintillating performance by Westover, super impressive, and I know that Prince Khalid's family are ecstatic to have their first Classic win since he passed away early last year.

“Westover is from an amazing family which goes back to our [G1] Prix de Diane winner, Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), and is testament to Prince Khalid's 34 years of breeding expertise. The pedigree tells us that he should have an awful lot of speed, so don't be surprised if he comes back in distance–he looked like he could have won easily if today's race had been over 10 furlongs.

“Although we were very happy for him to finish in the first three at Epsom, when you watch the race back and see the job Rob Hornby had to do to extricate him, he did finish remarkably strongly. Even so, no one could have expected him to win in the style that he has today.

“He was a very big foal, weighing 154 pounds, so Ralph [Beckett] did an incredible job to get him to race as often as he did last year. Sadly, we lost his mother, Mirabilis, last year at the age of 19 because of a nasty foot problem, but she had one more foal, an Expert Eye (GB) now 2-year-old filly called Jalapa (GB), who is with Ralph but has yet to see a racecourse.”

Westover is the 10th foal out of Mirabilis (Lear Fan), who captured the GIII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and was placed in the G1 Prix de la Foret, GII Jenny Wiley S. and GII Buena Vista H. He is a full-brother to the talented but mercurial Monarchs Glen (GB), who showed his class when registering wins in the G3 Darley Club S., Listed Wolferton S. and Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial S. The second dam is the GII Buena Vista H. scorer Media Nox (GB) (Lycius), who produced the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), while the family also features the G2 Prix Eugene Adam scorer Burning Sun (Danzig) and group and graded-stakes winners Mallory (Aus) (Not a Single Doubt {Aus}) and Anothertwistafate (Scat Daddy). Also connected to the G3 Earl of Sefton S.-winning sire Phoenix Tower (Chester House), Mirabilis's 2-year-old filly Jalapa (GB) is by Expert Eye (GB).

Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,000,000, The Curragh, 6-25, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:34.80, gd.
1–WESTOVER (GB), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
     1st Dam: Mirabilis (GSW-US, SW & G1SP-Fr, $275,664), by Lear Fan
     2nd Dam: Media Nox (GB), by Lycius
     3rd Dam: Sky Love, by Nijinsky II
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Colin Keane. €580,000. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Eng, 6-3-2-1, $915,150. *Full to Monarchs Glen (GB), GSW-Eng, SW & GSP-US, $464,026. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Piz Badile (Ire), 128, c, 3, Ulysses (Ire)–That Which Is Not, by Elusive Quality.
1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €200,000.
3–French Claim (Fr), 128, c, 3, French Fifteen (Fr)–Zahrada, by Galileo (Ire).
1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€9,000 Ylg '20 ARQAU; £36,000 2yo '21 TATGOR). O-Teme Valley Racing; B-Mathieu Daguzan-Garros & Jean-Claude Gour (FR); T-Paddy Twomey. €100,000.
Margins: 7, 2, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.38, 18.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Tuesday (Ire), Glory Daze (Ire), Boundless Ocean (Ire), Hannibal Barca (Ire), Lionel (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Appleby said, “Touch wood, all is well–they're [both] in great form. Adayar worked on Saturday and is building up towards the King George. He's done very well for his break–he put a nice bit of condition on, so it's time to start taking a bit back off again. I couldn't be any happier with him.”

A winner of his first three starts, including the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York on May 13, Hurricane Lane was third to Adayar in the blue riband on June 5, before securing his own Derby win at The Curragh on June 26. Although he too holds an entry for the King George, the Sept. 11 G1 St Leger at Doncaster is likely instead.

“Hurricane Lane has come out of the Irish Derby very well. It looked a tough, hard race–and I thought he'd sleep for a few days afterwards, but he's come out of the race bouncing. We'll potentially go straight to the St Leger with him.”

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Named a 'TDN Rising Star' after breaking his maiden at first asking at The Curragh last August, the bay saluted by 3/4 of a length in the G2 Beresford Memorial S. there on Sept. 26 and was shelved for the winter. An unsatisfactory blood test ruled the colt out of the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial in early May, and he returned to run third behind Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York on May 13.

“After two furlongs he clipped heels and nearly came down. Ryan [Moore] said he got disorganised then and he couldn't get him going after that,” said O'Brien. “Maybe he frightened himself, he got on to the wrong leg and he couldn't get him back. He could never click him into gear and it was a non-event really.

“When he ran against the winner in York it looked like another two furlongs was going to be right up his alley and he had run around the Curragh twice before. We'll just put a line through it, probably give him a little rest and have him back in the autumn.”

He added, “He obviously hasn't done anything since, but he seems grand. He'll do a little bit tomorrow. He was in a lovely position, cantering away but the moment it happened he just clicked out of gear.”

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