Irish Derby

Prominent breeze-up consignor and pre-trainer Ian McCarthy says that having a genuine Derby horse through his hands will be very hard to top and explained how he will be rooting for graduate Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh. McCarthy sold Ambiente Friendly on behalf of the colt's breeders Al Shira'aa Farms for 80,000gns to bloodstock agent Freddy Tylicki at last year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  Tylicki's opinion on the horse has since been vindicated 10 times over with Ambiente Friendly carrying the colours of...

Irish Derby weekend kicks off at the Curragh on Friday and there are no shortage of potential talking points. From highly-regarded juveniles, intriguingly-bred newcomers, stars of the future and potential banana skins, all of the ingredients are there to make the action on the track absorbing and informative. Here are some things to keep an eye out for.  Twomey Tipped To Begin Derby Weekend With A Bang The opening two-year-old maiden on Friday has the potential to be a cracker and the Paddy Twomey-trained Admiral Churchill (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) is...

There will be a maximum of eight runners in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh with Aidan O'Brien's Epsom third Los Angeles heading the four-strong assault on the race for Ballydoyle.  O'Brien will also be represented by Grosvenor Square, Euphoric and The Euphrates in the mile-and-a-half showpiece.  The defection of Chief Little Rock and Agenda means there will be a maximum of eight runners in a race where the supplemented Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly heads the market at odds of 11-10. A statement published on the Coolmore website read, "Ballydoyle...

Ten horses remain in contention for Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, including six trained by Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle. Only one other Irish trainer, Ger Lyons, has a colt still engaged in the race, while the three potential travellers from Britain are led by the James Fanshawe-trained Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was runner-up to City Of Troy in the Derby and has been supplemented for the Irish Classic. "He took Epsom well," said Fanshawe of his charge who will aim to go one better at the Curragh...

Deira Mile (Ire) could be pointed towards the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby after his fourth-placed effort in the Epsom Classic. The Owen Burrows-trained Camelot (GB) colt was fourth in the Futurity Trophy last season and began this year with a taking four-length victory in a Windsor novice. At Epsom he stepped up to a-mile-and-a-half for the first time and started at 28-1 for the Betfred-sponsored Derby, where he was ridden by Jim Crowley and drawn in stall 14 of 16. Though the running of the race did not favour...

Aidan O'Brien is busy preparing for what could turn out to be one of his boldest ever campaigns at Ballydoyle with plans in place for City Of Troy (Justify) to tackle the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby followed by an audacious tilt at the Travers S. on the dirt at Saratoga later this summer. Meanwhile, dual Derby and Breeders' Cup hero Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact {Jpn}), arguably the most important older horse to have been kept in training at Ballydoyle for many years, is set to get his campaign underway...

Wayne Lordan described his return to race-riding at Dundalk on Friday following an eight-month spell on the sidelines through injury as "a great feeling" and admitted to not realising how much he missed competitive action until he got the leg up aboard Navy Seal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Patton Race. Alas, the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt could not provide Lordan with a dream return, as he trailed home last of the three runners, but Lordan's spirits could not have been dented after completing the comeback.  The multiple Group 1 and...

Andrea Branchini provides a light-hearted response to the suggestion that the Irish Derby should be shortened, featuring an imagined conversation between two classic scholars in somewhat different fields. Yet while Cicero's questions are indeed imagined, Tesio's responses are direct quotes from his bloodstock bible Breeding the Racehorse. Marcus Tullius Cicero: Senator Tesio, what do you think of this recent querelle started by Patrick Cooper's letter in the TDN about shortening the distance of that famous Classic race in Hibernia? Federico Tesio: It is difficult to mathematically establish where speed ends...

Since the publication of Patrick Cooper's letter suggesting that the Irish Derby should be shortened in distance we have had a predictably mixed response in correspondence on the subject. You can find Cooper's letter in full here. In essence, it highlights the fortunes of two Frankel colts, the Irish Derby and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner and Arc runner-up Westover and the Dewhurst and 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean, both of whom raced for Juddmonte. The latter is now a Juddmonte stallion at Banstead Manor Stud, while Westover is about to...

Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), winner of the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud, has been retired after sustaining a "career-ending injury" when finishing runner-up in Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Announcing his retirement on Thursday, the colt's owner-breeder Juddmonte stated that stud plans for the 4-year-old would be announced at a later date. Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said, "It's devastating news, unfortunately he suffered a career-ending injury on Sunday and he'll have to be retired. Long-term he'll be fine and he'll be okay...

The first, third and fourth from Epsom all meet again after the Derby form was given a boost by the imposing runner-up King Of Steel when winning the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. Three sons of Galileo take on six of his grandsons, while five Aidan O'Brien-trained runners face one trained by each of his sons, Joseph and Donnacha. AUGUSTE RODIN (Ire) Deep Impact (Jpn) - Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) Owner: Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Westerberg Breeder: Coolmore Trainer: Aidan O'Brien Pedigree notes:...

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...