The Epsom hero Golden Horn is set to turn down a free ticket into the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, but the Curragh authorities are continuing to “spread the net wide” to ensure the 150th edition of Ireland’s premier classic will be as competitive as possible.
HQ’s final fixture before the Derby festival begins on June 26th took place yesterday in the sort of bright weather that could be priceless on the evening of the upcoming €1.25 million classic and featured an exciting Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes victory for Ger Lyons’s Ainippe.
Very different beast
Dogged by claims of a lack of competition in recent seasons, this year’s Irish Derby could be a very different beast with Golden Horn absent and Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle behemoth appearing to lack an obvious candidate to provide the champion trainer with a 12th Curragh Derby victory.
Golden Horn's weekend victory under Frankie Dettori earns him a free entry to the Irish classic and a shot at becoming the 18th horse to complete the Epsom-Curragh double.
However it is a shot trainer John Gosden looks like turning down in favour of allowing his Epsom runner-up Jack Hobbs a chance at his own classic success.
“Jack Hobbs will run in the Irish Derby and then we’ll give him a holiday as he’s a big rangy horse,” said Gosden, the first to train the Epsom 1-2 since Aidan O’Brien in 2002. “The Eclipse looks the direction we’ll go [with Golden Horn] and then possibly on to York.”
The upside of the Epsom winner's absence may be a wide-open Curragh Derby for a change and the course manager Paul Hensey believes fillies could ultimately play a vital part in a classic usually contested by colts.
“Fillies might play a major role. Salsabil (1990) and Balanchine (1994) proved it can be done. Jim Bolger’s filly [Pleascach] looks like coming and the Gallinule winner Curvy gets a free entry for winning that race,” he said.
“The first four at Epsom get free entry, as do the first four in the French Derby, and Epicuris [fifth at Epsom] was entered at the second entry stage and could come from France.
“We have spread the net wide and the fact [that] Aidan doesn’t look to have a superstar could encourage more to have a go,” Hensey added.
Nevertheless the O’Brien team look sure to be well represented with the Epsom fourth Giovanni Canaletto under consideration for the race, along with the French Derby runner up, Highland Reel.
However Ken Condon’s Success Day, a disappointing last at Epsom, returned home “sore” after not appreciating the fast ground and may not be seen again until the autumn.
Ambitious programme
One proven classic winner on target for the Derby is the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Pleascach, a filly who holds an entry in this Sunday’s French Oaks at Chantilly, and who has already had a hugely ambitious classic programme outlined for her taking in both the Derby and the Oaks at the Curragh.
Dermot Weld confirmed Friday night's Listed winner Radanpour will take in the Derby if ground conditions aren't too firm after his Postulation overcame the odds-on favourite Parish Hall in more ways than one in the Listed TRI Silver Stakes yesterday.
Pat Smullen timed his challenge to perfection on the winner to win by a neck, but Parish Hall's reaction appeared to be to try and bite the champion jockey as they passed the line.
“This was ambitious but we thought we’d have a crack at it and it has worked out,” said Weld. “As a gelding, he won’t be running in the Derby.”
Ainippe’s success was a case of job-done for Lyons and the Qatar Racing team who had been targeting a Group 3 with the filly this season.
The partnership, along with jockey Colin Keane, later doubled up in the mile and a half maiden with Game Set Dash.
Paris action
In Paris, Hurricane Fly’s attempt on the French Champion Hurdle fizzled out as the world-record Grade 1 holder could manage only sixth behind the David Pipe-trained English hope, Un Temps Pur Tout.
Hurricane Fly’s stable companion, Thousand Stars, a former dual-winner of the race, was runner up at Auteuil.
