Russian Camelot Makes Derby History

While Irish racing awaits a resumption date following a week of uncertainty over lockdown easing, two of the country's exports did Ireland proud in Adelaide on Saturday when Russian Camelot (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), ridden by former jump jockey Johnny Allen, became the first horse bred in the northern hemisphere to win a Derby in Australia.

It's no surprise to see the name O'Brien next to a Derby winner, but this time it was Flemington-based Danny O'Brien, whose season is continuing in fine style after adding the G1 South Australian Derby to his G1 Melbourne Cup victory with Vow And Declare (Aus) (Declaration Of War) and the G1 VRC Oaks success of Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}).

With a birth date of March 29, Russian Camelot was born six months after the runner-up Dalasan (Aus) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and third-placed Warning (Aus) (Declaration Of War), the winner of the G1 Victoria Derby in November. The colt's 1¾-length win, coming wide from the rear to loop the entire field off the home turn, was impressive enough to shoot him to the head of the betting for the Melbourne Cup.

For Allen, who started out as a conditional with Frances Crowley before moving to Australia in 2012, it was a third victory in the South Australian Derby in five years and one of three winners on Morphettville's Saturday card. He said, “I was comfortable with the way he was travelling but probably not comfortable with where I was in the race. It was a bit messy early but there were a couple in front of us riding off the fence so that gave us a bit of cover at least. Danny filled me with confidence and he said 'ride this horse like the best horse'. He was confident that if he was close enough at the corner that he would have a better turn of foot and it proved that way. He's just a superior horse.”

Allen added, “A lot has been made about his preparation but the biggest factor is that he's still six months younger than most of these horses. If he can beat them now and he's only just turned three, imagine what he can do in six months or year's time.”

Russian Camelot's trainer has long held him in high regard, and the Irish-bred is one of eight staying types purchased in Europe as yearlings by O'Brien and his owners in a project detailed in TDN last Wednesday.

“He's been a very exciting horse, not just for us but for the public, since his very first start,” said O'Brien on racing.com after the race. “We've had to do something that hasn't been done before, to take him to a Derby against the Australian 3-year-olds.”

Referring to the horse's progression from his last-start win over 1,600 metres at Pakenham to the 2,500 metres of the Derby, he added, “It's rare in Australia but his father Camelot only had the one run at a mile in the Guineas and then won the English Derby second up, so there is certainly no real issue in doing it. We bought the horse from England and bought the training manual with him.”

Among an international ownership group which includes John Wheeler and Dan and Rae Fletcher of Queensland-based Telemon Stud are two long-term British clients with O'Brien, Hong Kong resident Melv Ford and Mark Edwards.

Speaking from his home in Cornwall on Saturday morning, Edwards said, “What a thrill. He's just so progressive and you have to say he's still untapped. He's clean-winded, natural and he has this potent turn of foot. There's not much to not like about him.”

A regular visitor to Australia, Edwards has mares in the country at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley and at Willaroon Thoroughbreds in Victoria. He has enjoyed previous success with exporting horses from Europe to the southern hemisphere, notably as the co-breeder of G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Shamal Wind (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}), a daughter of the Machiavellian mare Firemaid.

He said, “I would definitely have been there if not for everything that's going on at the moment. I'd have done the three days at Warrnambool to get myself match fit for a day in Adelaide at Morphettville. But thank goodness with technology now we're not having people holding phones next to radios and giving commentaries, we can actually tune in and see everything. It's still hugely exciting, especially when you're so well looked after by Australian trainers with this constant video flow—Danny has been sending two or three things every fortnight and you can just see this horse enjoying being a racehorse. He's maturing, and any little speed bump on the way, Danny has ironed it out. You'd have to think he's going to be quite a force come their spring.”

Edwards added, “I started buying fillies in Europe and sending them down. I've been lucky to know Danny for nearly 18 years now and he trained Firemaid for us, who we bought from Darley. She walked off the plane and straight to Danny's yard and he won two races with her over a trip that I imagine Darley would never tried her at, over 1000 metres, and her first foal was then Shamal Wind.

“Having met Danny with Melv Ford and Antony Thompson, and then finding Firemaid at the July sale, I've had horses with him pretty much on and off ever since.”

Russian Camelot was bred by Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud and is the second foal of the unraced Lady Babooshka (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who was bought on their behalf by Cormac McCormack at the 2014 Tattersalls July Sale for 40,000gns.

A great grand-daughter of the Meon Valley Stud blue hen Reprocolor, Lady Babooshka's first foal No Trouble (Ire) (No Nay Never) was a dual winner over the winter at Dundalk. Russian Camelot's 2-year-old full-sister Russian Camilla (Ire) is now in training with Sylvester Kirk in Lambourn, having been bought privately by Johnny McKeever for a syndicate of Australian owners.

Co-breeder Timmy Hyde Sr sold Russian Camelot as a yearling at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 120,000gns to Jeremy Brummitt.  After watching his Derby win from Camas Park, he said, “He did that very nicely, coming wide round the outside. There was a lot of talk about him when he won his first race when he was still a 2-year old running against the 3-year olds so I've been following him closely.”

He continued, “Lady Babooshka is a nice mare, she's only nine. She's had a filly foal this year by Zoffany (Ire) and has been covered again by Camelot.”

In 2012, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Camelot, a son of Montjeu (Ire), won the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Irish Derby, and he came close to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in Britain since Nijinsky in 1970 when beaten three-quarters of a length for second by Encke (Kingmambo) in the St Leger. He has now sired Group/Grade 1 winners in Ireland, France, America and Australia.