Derby

Continuing the profiles of the favourite horses of TDN Europe's editorial team in 2023, Tom Frary selects the horse he believes is the best of Aidan O'Brien's nine Derby winners. Sectional timing wasn't around when Dancing Brave tanked down the outer to get within just under a length of Shahrastani in 1986. If it had been, we'd have been able to gauge just how unlucky he was (he was). Maybe if it had been there could also have been a proper assessment of whether El Gran Senor should have prevailed...

Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), the brilliant winner of the 2022 Derby, has been euthanised at Newmarket Equine Hospital after failing to recover from an injury sustained on the gallops in August. "Everything was done to try to save him, we thought he was making progress but then he just started going backwards," said Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Desert Crown was bred by Gary Robinson of Strawberry Fields Stud. He made just one appearance as a two-year-old to post a...

Edward Hide, who won the Derby aboard Morston (Fr) (Ragusa {GB}) for Arthur Budgett in 1973, has passed away at the age of 86. Trainer Mick Easterby paid tribute to the three-time champion apprentice who was a regular rider for the stable and said, "It is with great sadness today that I heard of the passing of my great buddy Eddie Hide. "Eddie Hide was quite simply one of the best Flat jockeys I have seen. In my career I have been fortunate to put up two of the finest...

Cast your mind back to the spring and summer of 2006. In many ways not much was different then to now. Aidan O'Brien had won the 2,000 Guineas with George Washington (Ire) (Danehill) and the Oaks with Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). It was the year in which Galileo (Ire) first came to prominence as a sire when his first-crop daughter Nightime (Ire) won the Irish 1,000 Guineas and his sons, led by Sixties Icon (GB), filled the first three places in the St Leger, though remarkably none of this quartet...

Derby and King George winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) has been retired from racing with his trainer Charlie Appleby saying the Godolphin-owned five-year-old was "a pleasure to train". Adayar provided Appleby with a second G1 Derby success at Epsom in 2021 when ridden by Adam Kirby before going on to beat his elders in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot the following month under William Buick. He was subsequently beaten in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the G1 Champion S. and only...

Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who was ruled out of the Prince of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot after suffering a setback in training, has resumed light exercise in Newmarket.  Last year's Derby winner, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, has raced just four times in three years, and was beaten for the first time on his sole start this season when second to Hukum (GB) in the Brigadier Gerard S. on his reappearance after a 12-month absence. Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to Desert Crown's owner Saeed Suhail, said, "He's...

Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is on track to bid for a Derby double at the Curragh on Sunday with Aidan O'Brien's Epsom hero heading a field of 11 forfeits for the Curragh showpiece.  If successful in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Auguste Rodin would provide the master of Ballydoyle with his 100th European Classic success, but the colt will face stiff competition with the third and fourth home at Epsom still in the picture for the race.  O'Brien has five horses remaining in the €1.25m contest, which...

Dylan Browne McMonagle has been provided with a golden opportunity to record his first Classic success in the saddle with the news that John Murphy has snapped up the young riding sensation for White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) ahead of Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.  White Birch overcame a nightmare start to finish an excellent third in the Derby behind Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). He was ridden at Epsom by Colin Keane but, with the reigning Irish champion jockey suspended for Sunday's highlight, Murphy has turned to...

John Murphy has reported White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) to have come out of his third-placed Derby effort in good order and says that he is looking forward to the rematch with Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh insisting "there's no hiding now". Despite breaking slowly at Epsom on Saturday, White Birch made tremendous late ground to finish a good third under Colin Keane, leaving connections optimistic about what the future may hold for the grey. "It was a relief. We were absolutely...

Michael Tabor, John and Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Westerberg's Derby hero Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is expected to make his next start in the July 2 G1 Irish Derby at The Curragh. "I would say he'll go to the Irish Derby," Tabor told racingtv.com. "I haven't discussed it, but it's common sense to say he definitely goes to the Irish Derby. Then we'll bring him back in trip--a mile and a quarter--for some of those races." The striking bay colt previously finished 12th in the May 6...

Dante winner and Derby fifth The Foxes (Ire) is set for a drop back in trip for his next outing, with the Coral-Eclipse put forward as a possible target, after connections felt the Churchill (Ire) colt failed to see out the trip at Epsom on Saturday.  Andrew Balding's charge was a good winner of the Royal Lodge in September and was only touched off by Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Craven at Newmarket on his first run as a three-year-old. Owned by King Power Racing, he improved on that...

Officials at Ascot are liaising with authorities over security plans for the Royal meeting following the attempted disruption to Saturday's Betfred Derby at Epsom. Police arrested 31 people on Saturday, including 12 on the racecourse grounds, after Animal Rising announced their intention to "cancel or severely delay" the Derby in the lead up to the race, which went ahead as planned. Surrey Police confirmed on Sunday that Ben Newman, 32, from Hackney, east London, had been charged with causing public nuisance after running onto the track during the Derby itself....