By Tom Frary
After all the pontificating leading up to Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby, all that was required was respect for the Chester Vase form as Australia's Lambourn led home Protectionist's Lazy Griff as he had in that Group 3 trial. Cajoled to the front from the break by Wayne Lordan, the 13-2 shot who has become progressively less tardy with racing was soon comfortable in the clear and after freewheeling down the hill stayed on powerfully to provide Aidan O'Brien with his 11th Blue Riband.
Beginning from the race's winningmost stall in 10, the bay was soon left to his own devices on the front end. Despite being coaxed along throughout, there would have been no anxiety for those who had followed the former loafer throughout his career to date. Relatively exuberant here, he was always responsive and after freewheeling downhill to Tattenham Corner with plenty left in the tank straightened up and stayed on powerfully to finish the job.
Lazy Griff, at an inflated and disrespectful 50-1 given his record, was 3 3/4 lengths behind to provide the Middleham Park syndicate and Charlie Johnston with a red-letter day in his own right, while Tennessee Stud ground out third. A further length behind, the Joseph O'Brien-trained G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner was making it a second place-getter for Wootton Bassett in the Epsom Classics over the two days. This was truly one for the strong stayers, which will ease the minds of connections of the withdrawn Ruling Court. One who never factored was Ryan Moore's pick Delacroix, who carried the mantle of favourite looking to give Dubawi his first Derby and ultimately trailed in ninth.
This represented the first time that Aidan O'Brien has won the race with a colt by a son of Galileo, who kicked it all off for him in 2001, so the feeling was enhanced. “It's incredible for everyone that we trained Australia to win the Derby and his sire as well. Australia was a great Derby winner and his horses are so straightforward, just like him,” he said. “Wayne gave him an incredible ride and I'm delighted for him. He's very straightforward, Wayne knew he'd stay so he went forward and he's a very fit, genuine horse–a typical Australia.”
“He's a very underestimated horse and Ryan loved him at Chester, but he couldn't ride them all. Chester gives them quick feet and we knew he wasn't going to stop. We knew every inch he gained he wasn't going to give back, so it was going to be difficult if you were on the back foot.”
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 7, 2025
Introduced in July in the Killarney race won in recent times by Luxembourg, Lambourn was called the winner but the story of that event was the surefire winner Green Triangle running out through the rails close home. On the same day at the end of August that Field Of Gold was capturing one of the day's feature events in the G3 Solario Stakes, Lambourn was on his way to the French provincial track of Craon for the Listed Criterium de l'Ouest with the yard looking to spread its enviable array of class juveniles even further than before.
What should have been a straightforward task turned into near-calamity, with Christophe Soumillon having to graft to get Lambourn past the post first in front of a small crowd who can probably scarcely believe that they witnessed a future Derby winner that afternoon. Blinkers were on for The Curragh's G2 Beresford Stakes, but Lambourn was most definitely off that day and he went into winter quarters having been last of five in his first major examination.
Beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Delacroix in Leopardstown's G3 Ballysax Stakes in March, Lambourn showed enough zip to suggest he had turned a corner over the break and confirmed that impression at Chester's May Festival which was unwittingly playing host to Epsom's new hero and heroine last month. Unsurprisingly, the St Leger was touted for the winner afterwards. “I'd say he's probably an Irish Derby horse, but he will get further as well, he's very uncomplicated,” O'Brien added. “He will stay very well and has loads of class, so I would imagine he is very possible to go to the Leger if the lads decide that.”
Interestingly, Lordan got to the four-furlong pole in 110.71 seconds, having taken his Oaks ride Whirl to the exact same point 24 hours earlier in 110.73. That is a serious piece of pace riding from a master of the clock whose experience of Epsom is limited relative to most of the riders in this renewal. Lambourn closed out the last half a mile in 48.61, half a second slower than Minnie Hauk in the Oaks and overall he was slightly slower than his stablemate, but there is a feeling that the ground had eased a touch from Friday to Saturday and so allowances for that have to be made. The Oaks and Derby winners are probably more or less on par at this stage, with Whirl probably third best of the colts and fillies over the two Classics.
Wayne Lordan said of his biggest day, “I didn't think it was going to be as easy as it was, but I was happy to take it. His ears were pricked and he was enjoying it out there. If you'd seen him in his other races, three out you're off the bridle on him as he saves plenty so I was happy to go forward good and early. He got the line really well and he's a horse who is going to stay further as well, so that option is there. The Derby is always the one growing up and when you win it, it's special.”
Charlie Johnston said of the runner-up, “We told as many people as would listen we couldn't understand why he was such a huge price. It's safe to say the Chester form held up well. I'm surprised how well he handled the track, because that was always my biggest concern. He's quite a heavy-topped horse, so if the ground wasn't as soft as it was he wouldn't be here. I would say it will be the Irish Derby or the Grand Prix de Paris next. The Irish Derby would mean going into the lion's den I suppose, but it will be one or the other I would say.”
Joseph O'Brien, who rode Australia to glory here, said of Tennessee Stud, “I'm very proud of him, it was a serious run and he came home strongly. I'm so pleased for the owners, it's very good to be placed in the Derby and he's an unexposed type from whom there should be plenty more to come.”
Pedigree Notes
Remarkably given his style of racing and need for at least this mile and a half, Lambourn is out of the Scat Daddy mare Gossamer Wings who was highly effective over five furlongs as she proved when placed in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes and G2 Flying Childers Stakes. She is a full-sister to the Stakes scorer Lavender Chrissie and a half to the GIII Victory Ride Stakes winner Baby J by J Be K, as well as Bernstein's stakes winner and GI Secretariat Stakes-placed Laureate Conductor.
The third dam Mighty Milk is kin to the GIII John B. Campbell Handicap scorer Hot Brush and the Summer Stakes winner Blazing Hot, in turn the second dam of the GII Super Derby hero Going Ballistic. Gossamer Wings's 2-year-old colt by Frankel is named Action, while her 2024 colt by that sire unfortunately died.
Saturday, Epsom, Britain
BETFRED DERBY (IN HONOUR OF HIS HIGHNESS AGA KHAN IV)-G1, £1,604,000, Epsom, 6-7, 3yo, c/f, 12f 6yT, 2:38.50, gd.
1–LAMBOURN (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Gossamer Wings (MGSP-Eng & SP-Ire), by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Lavender Baby, by Rubiano
3rd Dam: Mighty Milk, by Hero's Honor
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Wayne Lordan. £909,628. Lifetime Record: SW-Fr & GSP-Ire, 6-4-1-0, $1,399,965. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lazy Griff (Ger), 128, c, 3, Protectionist (Ger)–Linarda (Den), by Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€75,000 Ylg '23 BBAGS). O-Middleham Park Racing & G Griffiths; B-Gestut Westerberg; T-Charlie Johnston. £344,860.
3–Tennessee Stud (Ire), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–In My Dreams (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O-Westerberg, Michael Tabor, Mrs John Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Mrs Annemarie O'Brien (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. £172,590.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1, NK. Odds: 6.50, 50.00, 28.00.
Also Ran: New Ground (GB), Stanhope Gardens (Ire), Tornado Alert (Ire), Green Storm (Ire), Nightime Dancer (Ire), Delacroix (Ire), Midak (Fr), Sea Scout (Ire), Nightwalker (GB), Rogue Impact (GB), The Lion In Winter (Ire), Al Wasl Storm (Ire), Tuscan Hills (Fr), Pride Of Arras (Ire), Damysus (GB). Scratched: Ruling Court.
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