Auguste Rodin, Military Order and Arrest form part of a 14-strong field declared for the Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday.
Much has been written about Auguste Rodin, and while he was well beaten in the 2000 Guineas, Aidan O’Brien – who also runs San Antonio and Adelaide River – retains maximum faith in the Deep Impact colt.
Military Order is bred to be a Derby winner being a full-brother to trainer Charlie Appleby’s 2021 winner Adayar and did little to dispel the impression that he will go close to maintaining family honour when taking the Lingfield Derby Trial.
Arrest will take all the headlines should he prevail, as he is the final Derby mount of Frankie Dettori.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the son of Frankel was a Group One runner-up as a juvenile and looked the part on his return in the Chester Vase.
His run in France behind the reopposing Dubai Mile was on heavy ground, while the heavens opened over the Roodee.
He will face very different conditions in the premier Classic, but connections are hopeful he will be at least as good, if not better, for it.
“He’s a very good horse and at Chester it was just about getting him some more experience on an undulating track,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“He’d been to Sandown, Ffos Las and Saint-Cloud, all pretty straightforward tracks, so Chester was about introducing him to a tight, undulating track which he handled well.
“He then went to Epsom for a gallop and he handled that as well, quickening clear of his work companion, so he’s in good form. He did his last piece at the weekend and went nicely.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the ground, but he won his maiden at Sandown on good to firm, hopefully he can give a good account.
“He’s a fine, big, well-balanced horse so I think he’s better on good ground. Looking at him, that’s what I think.
“France wasn’t ideal, if it was three-quarters through the season rather than last race of the year he probably wouldn’t have run on that ground as it was so bad, but we knew he had the winter off so took a chance.
“He hit the front a furlong out and the ground probably just caught him out and the horse of Charlie Johnston’s got back up and did him on the line.”
Sir Michael Stoute and the Derby need little introduction and 12 months on from the victory of Desert Crown, the Freemason Lodge handler has supplemented Passenger, winner of the Wood Ditton and unlucky in running when dead-heating for third in the Dante.
The winner on the Knavesmire was Andrew Balding’s The Foxes, while immediately behind Military Order at Lingfield was the Ed Walker-trained Waipiro.
Donnacha O’Brien’s Alder was not declared, but there is further Irish representation through John Murphy’s Dante runner-up White Birch and Jessica Harrington’s Sprewell.
Artistic Star is an unbeaten Galileo colt representing Ralph Beckett, who sent out Westover to be third last year, and Roger Varian runs the giant King Of Steel with Dubai Mile’s trainer Charlie Johnston having a second string to his bow in the shape of Dear My Friend.
Diamond sparkles with Listed victory at Ayr
Karl Burke’s Beautiful Diamond made light work of the British EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr.
The daughter of Twilight Son was the 5-6 favourite for the Listed event under Clifford Lee, with the race a return to five furlongs after a fifth-placed finish in the Lowther over six furlongs last time.
Though previously only seen on good or good to firm ground, this time the filly encountered a surface with more give but found no hardship in it as she made the running from stall four.
She was pursued by Purosangue but never headed and crossed the line a length ahead in what was a comfortable success.
“I was very pleased with her, she deserved that,” said Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.
“She was third in the Queen Mary and didn’t get home at York over six furlongs, so five furlongs today was perfect.
“She’s very quick, that seems to be her game. I don’t rule out six furlongs in the future on faster ground, maybe next year, but at the moment she’s showing more and more speed.
“She doesn’t just look like a two-year-old, she’s the type of filly that may progress from two to three as she has a bit of scope about her.”
William Haggas’ Pink Crystal was then the winner of the Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes over five and a half furlongs having started at 7-1.
Jason Hart took the ride and guided the chestnut to a result that was a place better than last year’s runner-up spot as she won by a length and a half from Burke’s Secret Angel.
The run follows a Group Three effort at York in the Summer Stakes, where she was beaten only a length and three-quarters in fourth by Swingalong, with whom she shares an owner.
Robinson is also employed in the same assistant racing manager role for the owner in question, Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, and said: “I was delighted with her, she ran a very, very good race at York.
“She did very well, she was stuck out on the wing all the way so she did so well to come home like she did behind Swingalong. It was a very good run.
“The plan today was to sit quite close to the pace but she was struggling with the ground early on, then she came home very strongly and I was very impressed with her.
“She’s a very tough filly, she loves her racing and she’s a very good competitor.”
The Virgin Bet Ayr Bronze Cup Handicap then went the way of David O’Meara’s Ascot Adventure, a 15-2 chance who was ridden to a three-quarter-length success by Ben Curtis.
Navy Seal on Beresford mission for O’Brien and Dettori
Frankie Dettori teams up with Aidan O’Brien’s Navy Seal as the trainer looks to regain the Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.
When Crypto Force beat O’Brien’s Adelaide River in the race 12 months ago, it was the first time the Ballydoyle handler had suffered a defeat in the Group Two since Casamento won for Michael Halford in 2010.
Among his incredible 21 winners of the race are St Nicholas Abbey, Capri, Saxon Warrior and Luxembourg, but perhaps the most famous winner on the recent roll of honour is John Oxx’s brilliant Sea The Stars in 2008.
The trainer has had to look away from usual jockey Ryan Moore this weekend as he is in Australia to partner Shinzo for owners Coolmore in the Golden Rose at Rosehill.
O’Brien has three strong contenders this year in Leopardstown winner Chief Little Rock (Gavin Ryan), Galway debut winner Grosvenor Square (Colin Keane) and Dettori’s mount Navy Seal, who stepped up markedly on his debut fifth at Killarney to win at Galway.
“Chief Little Rock came forward nicely to win at Leopardstown but he only just won, we thought he’d win easier than he did but he won anyway,” said O’Brien.
“He’s in good form and we think he’s a horse who is going to progress more. He’s got a stout pedigree and will be staying well next year.
“Grosvenor Square won nicely at Galway, that was only 11 days ago. He’s a lovely, big horse but he was babyish and green there, so we think the experience will do him well. He’s another with plenty of stamina in his pedigree.
“Frankie is riding Navy Seal for us. He won nicely at Galway the last day but he was a little but green.
“He ended up winning nicely at the end and we think he’s ready to go again. The first day we were a bit disappointed, we expected him to run better but he was very green. He was still green the last day, so we’re just hoping that he keeps coming forward.
“Ryan is in Australia and it’s worked out that Frankie is available.”
It is not all about the Ballydoyle runners, though, as Joseph O’Brien’s Stromberg has won his last two by an aggregate of 17 lengths and Paddy Twomey’s Deepone brings Pattern form to the table.
John O'Brien's In The Headlines drawn post four in Trinidad Derby
The Triple Crown-seeking filly In the Headlines has been drawn in post position four for Monday’s Trinidad Derby at Santa Rosa Park.
Champion trainer John O’Brien has booked the services of Naim Samaroo for this very important assignment.
In the Headlines is listed as the 6-5 second favourite behind her stablemate and 4-5 shot Hello World for the 10-furlong run on the Republic Day holiday card.
Hello World will be ridden by 58-year-old Panama-born Nobel Abrego.
Coming off wins in the Guineas in May and the Midsummer Classic in August, In the Headlines is trying to become the first filly to capture the Triple Crown at Santa Rosa Park and would also give trainer O’Brien a second Triple Crown win in four years after Wise Guy in 2020.
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