Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby report, reaction and free video replay
By David Ord
13:11 · MON July 03, 2023
Ryan Moore rode his first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner and Aidan O'Brien claimed a 100th European Classic as 4/11 favourite Auguste Rodin struck at the Curragh.
It was hard work for the Epsom hero, though, who raced in third throughout as stablemate Adelaide River cut out the early running.
He was angled out after turning for home but the acceleration that carried him past the quickening King Of Steel on the first Saturday of June wasn't there. He always looked like overhauling his front-running stablemate, a 33/1 chance, but had to be asked serious questions passing the furlong marker to finally assert and go on and win by a length-and-a-quarter.
Covent Garden (80/1) and Peking Opera (66/1) came through to complete a one-two-three-four for the Ballydoyle team but the race was marred by a fatal injury sustained by their stablemate San Antonio before the home turn. Wayne Lordan was unseated in the incident.
Epsom third and fourth White Birch and Sprewell never threatened to play a hand in the finish this time, never a factor in eighth and sixth respectively.
Auguste Rodin was O'Brien's fifth Betfred Derby winner to follow-up at the Curragh, joining Galileo, High Chaparral, Camelot and Australia on that particular roll-of-honour.
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"I've had a lot of disappointments in this race but Aidan said to me 'Mick didn't win his first one until we had Galileo' so maybe we just needed a good horse to get it done," Moore told Racing TV afterwards.
"It's very, very windy today. We have a big headwind down the back and a gale blowing behind us down the straight. We went very steady the first half of the race and for my horse it was always a gear too low. I was in third gear down the back and I'd like to have been going on a stride.
"I was going to angle to come around Wayne (Lordan) but I had to switch back in and the horse in front was getting a very easy time and I've had to go to him early. My horse gets to the front and tends to wait a bit but I had to go because the leader was getting such an easy time and when you have that tailwind behind you here on the inner track it's not as straightforward a racecourse as people maybe think.
"I've found that out a good few times and that's maybe why I hadn't won it before, you can get some different results here on the round course. For me the horse has done what he had to do today. He wasn't blowing afterwards and didn't turn a hair. There's plenty more to come. The form will look questionable but the form at Epsom looks very good and today it's just circumstances conspired against him and he still won."
Asked if the colt had given him the same feel as at Epsom Moore added: "He didn't have the opportunity to because the race was different, the course was different and the conditions were very different. But I know there's plenty there and I'm happy."
Rodin has pace to drop back
The rider feels the son of Deep Impact could be effective over ten furlongs too.
"He gets the mile-and-a-half really well but I think he would be fine at ten. Today I always felt we were going too slow which would indicate he'd be very comfortable coming back in trip," he added.
On O'Brien's remarkable landmark, his stable jockey added: "Aidan would tell you it's a team effort, and it is, but there's a reason why he's got these records and I'm very lucky to have ridden for him as long as I have and he puts me on these horses who are capable of winning these races. I'm very grateful to him. He is seriously driven, he wants the best all the time, and the amount of work he does is quite incredible."
No rush over future plans
O'Brien added: “It was hard to judge the pace with the wind and Ryan said it was all happening a bit too slow for him. He would be much better in a faster run race. We wanted a strong, even pace and he was just in second gear. He never got into third gear at all. When he got to the front he was all starry eyed. We knew the second horse would handle this course much better than Epsom and it wasn’t a surprise that he ran much better.
“This horse is real classic blood. He can cover that mile and a half in a strong, fast pace, move well and do everything right. The Curragh is very fair and very straightforward.”
Regarding the future, O’Brien added: “We will do what we usually do which is wait about seven days and we will talk with the lads and see what they want to do.”
Tabor tribute to O'Brien family
Part-owner Michael Tabor paid tribute to the O’Brien family after another Classic success.
“The whole (O’Brien) family and their work ethic is tremendous, it doesn’t happen just by luck,” he said. “The work that he puts in every day, and I mean every day, and he loves what he does. He gets up in the morning and he enjoys his work, you have to as life is too short. I don’t think you saw the real Auguste Rodin, but it’s always a great thrill to win the Irish Derby.”
Wayne Lordan was taken to Tallaght Hospital for tests following his fall on San Antonio. He was reported to be conscious and able to move all his limbs on Racing TV.
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