By Tom Frary
Aidan O'Brien had four of the first five home in Saturday's G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh, but incredibly it was Joseph who took the biggest prize with the unexposed Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in a renewal that will enter racing folklore. Sent off at 14-1 coming in off an impressive 6 1/2-length course-and-distance maiden win June 9, the Lloyd Williams colour-bearer was sent up to race close to Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) with Donnacha O'Brien keen to put his mount's stamina to full effect. The leader's rider Padraig Beggy looked for a while up the straight as if he might pull off another Derby win to add to last year's Epsom exploits as Rostropovich gave all tenaciously against the rail. He had reckoned without Latrobe, who gained the edge inside the final furlong and stayed on the better to prevail by a half length, with the G1 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) just a neck back in third as the even-money favourite, 2 1/2 lengths and a half length in front of stablemates Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) respectively. “It was so special, I was hoping all the way up the straight that one of ours wouldn't chin him,” Aidan O'Brien said. “I'm delighted for the lads and Lloyd has been a massive supporter of Joseph since the start. Irish racing is so competitive every day. It's tough, so this is an unbelievably special day. Donnacha is a big man and we're so grateful that they are enjoying it and are able to do it. They've never known anything else, they know how constant it is–it's a seven-days-a-week job–and I know how hard they work. We are so grateful to everyone for supporting them.”
Latrobe went into several notebooks when second on debut over a mile at Leopardstown in October and was runner-up again on his return behind Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) on testing ground over 10 furlongs at Naas Apr. 13. No match for Platinum Warrior (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when second once more in the G3 Gallinule S. again at that trip here May 27, the dark bay was 1-7 when making all in his maiden and positive tactics were also the order of the day here as soon as Dee Ex Bee (GB) (Farhh {GB}) backed off the lead to allow Rostropovich past. That G2 King Edward VII S. runner-up is a notorious slow-starter, but Padraig Beggy was intent on rousing him awake from the outset and he soon took the field along with his Frankel-inherited generous stride. Latrobe kept him company as Saxon Warrior travelled strongly for Ryan Moore in behind and it was notable how the closers were failing to make any impact at the top of the straight. With the acceleration Saxon Warrior showed in the 2000 Guineas eluding him on this occasion, the straight became a war of attrition and the front two refused to buckle in a thrilling head-to-head. In the closing yards, Donnacha conjured that extra bit from Latrobe to finally subdue Rostropovich as Saxon Warrior ground on to his left.
The winning rider, who was also successful in the aforementioned Guineas on Saxon Warrior and the G1 Epsom Oaks, was in dreamland. “It's not really sunk in yet. It's very special,” he said. “I thought Johnston's horse [Dee Ex Bee] would go and I thought they'd go a stronger gallop, but when they went slow I took him out and let him gallop and I ended up further forward than I planned. That ended up with him getting the run of the race, as they went slow. I thought I had a good each-way chance, but I'd be lying if I said I thought I'd win as I thought Saxon Warrior would win well. He stepped up a good bit today and still has plenty of learning to do as a big horse. I'm doing 8-12 tomorrow and my weight is the same this year as it was last year–I don't know if I'll get another year or another five years riding.”
Joseph O'Brien, who witnessed the colours carried to glory in the Melbourne Cup in November, was similarly overjoyed. “It's unbelievable–I'm so delighted for Donnacha and all the lads in the yard at home, especially Azhar Khan who looks after him and Joey Fallon who rides him out every day,” he said. “I'm so grateful to Lloyd and Nick [Williams], who have been so good to me and we weren't under any pressure today. Donnacha was going to drop in and pick up the pieces late, but there was no pace so he let him go forward and that proved the winning and the losing of the race. He's never disappointed us–he was beaten by Hunting Horn and Donnacha said he would beat him the next day and in the group 3 there was a slow pace and a sprint up the straight. This is right up there with any days I've had.” Of Latrobe's future, he added, “I'd say that's going to be his perfect trip. I wouldn't have minded if the ground was a bit juicier, but obviously he doesn't mind quick ground. We weren't too worried about quick ground and I'd say he's versatile enough. I really don't know where he will go next. We'll have to see how he comes out of this and then decide.”
Aidan O'Brien was dominating in numbers again despite missing out on the first spot and said of the beaten favourite, “Saxon Warrior probably travelled a bit strong and no one went so Padraig went on. That's not the way we planned it, but that's the way it fell. It was solid and we were delighted with the run. We always thought he would be going back to a mile and a quarter after today and that's where he will be going. We'll probably give him a little rest and obviously the [G1] Juddmonte [International at York Aug. 22] and the [G1] Irish Champion [S. at Leopardstown Sept. 15] are the races we've been looking at with him. He has all the pace in the world. Rostropovich ran a smashing race and got the trip well.”
Pedigree Notes…
Latrobe's dam Question Times (GB) (Shamardal), from whom he gets his dark colour, was trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam to finish second in the Listed Bosra Sham S. over six furlongs as a juvenile. She had already produced the smart distaffer Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who took the G3 Gladness S. and was runner-up in the GII Sands Point S. Question Times is a half-sister to the G3 Sceptre S. scorer and G1 Cheveley Park S. runner-up Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who in turn produced the Listed Cecil Frail S. scorer Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}). The third dam Simply Times (Dodge) was responsible for the G2 Hungerford S. and G3 Bentinck S. winner Welsh Emperor (Ire) (Emperor Jones) who was also twice runner-up in the G1 Prix de la Foret. The dam's 2-year-old full-sister to the winner was purchased by Magnier, Mayfair and Doyle for €380,000 at Goffs and is now named Pink Dogwood (Ire), while she also has a yearling colt by Zoffany (Ire) to follow. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,500,000, Curragh, 6-30, 3yo, 12fT, 2:32.62, g/f.
1–LATROBE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Camelot%20(GB)#tot">Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Question Times (GB) (SP-Eng), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Forever Times (GB), by So Factual
3rd Dam: Simply Times, by Dodge
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
(€88,000 Wlg '15 GOFNOV; 65,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT).
O-Lloyd J Williams; B-Sweetmans Bloodstock (IRE); T-Joseph
O'Brien; J-Donnacha O'Brien. €855,000. Lifetime Record:
5-2-3-0, $1,030,401. *1/2 to Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet
Rock {Aus}), GSW-Ire, MGSP-US & SP-Eng, $225,664. Werk
Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Rostropovich (Ire), 126, c, 3, Frankel%20(GB)#tot">Frankel (GB)–Tyranny (GB), by
Machiavellian. (1,100,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT). O-Michael
Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Markus Jooste;
B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €300,000.
3–Saxon Warrior (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Maybe
(Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Derrick Smith, Susan
Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Orpendale & Chelston & Wynatt
(JPN); T-Aidan O'Brien. €150,000.
Margins: HF, NK, 2HF. Odds: 14.00, 25.00, 1.00.
Also Ran: Delano Roosevelt (Ire), The Pentagon (Ire), Old Persian (GB), Dee Ex Bee (GB), Bandua, Platinum Warrior (Ire), Carlo Biraghi (Ire), Knight To Behold (Ire), Theobald (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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