Galileo's Capri Conquers the Irish Derby

Only sixth in the G1 Epsom Derby four weeks earlier, Derrick Smith's Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had all in his favour back at The Curragh and emerged triumphant under Seamie Heffernan in a three-way go for the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday. Sent off at 6-1, the grey who had won the G2 Beresford S. when last at this track in September was always handily-placed in second and struck for home with a quarter mile to race. As Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) made up ground relentlessly on the wide outside and the Derby hero Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) emerged between them, Capri dug deep against the rail to hold on by a neck from the Gosden runner, with the 2-1 favourite Wings of Eagles a short head behind in a thriller. “He's an uncomplicated horse who Seamie always had great belief in, even after Epsom,” reported Aidan O'Brien whose Irish Derby tally now sits at a dozen. “He wanted to come here and ride him and we know he gets a mile and a half well and is brave. He had a lovely position through the race and Seamie paced it brilliantly and timed it to perfection. Wings of Eagles ran very well, but maybe this tough mile and a half is as far as he wants to go. He showed mile-and-a-quarter pace at Epsom where he sprinted and finished off very quickly and he might have just been outstayed.”

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,770,000, CUR, 7-1, 3yo, 12fT, 2:35.45, gd.
1–&CAPRI (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Dialafara (Fr), by Anabaa
2nd Dam: Diamilina (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Diamonaka, by Akarad (Fr)
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €855,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 9-4-1-2, $1,180,094. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cracksman (GB), 126, c, 3, Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)–Rhadegunda (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O-A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-John Gosden. €285,000.
3–Wings of Eagles (Fr), 126, c, 3, Pour Moi (Ire)–Ysoldina (Fr), by Kendor (Fr). (€220,000 Ylg '15 ARAUG). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Gilles & Aliette Forien (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien. €135,000.
Margins: NK, NO, 1HF. Odds: 6.00, 3.00, 2.00.
Also Ran: Waldgeist (GB), Douglas Macarthur (Ire), Taj Mahal (Ire), Dubai Sand (Ire), The Anvil (Ire), Grandee (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Capri was a solid group-class juvenile for Ballydoyle in 2016 without setting the pulse racing, but he entered winter quarters as one of the Derby colts who would deserve special attention if the ground came up easy on the first Saturday in June. After defeating Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) on debut in a maiden over an extended mile at the Galway festival in July, he followed up in the Listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs S. over an extended seven furlongs at Tipperary six days later before upstaging Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Beresford staged on testing ground here. Signing off with a third behind Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October, he returned to be fourth under a five-pound penalty behind Rekindling in the G3 Ballysax S. over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown Apr. 8 and was third to Douglas Macarthur (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. over the same course and distance May 7.

Attracting support in the lead-up to the Derby when the rain threatened to arrive, Capri was far from disgraced when subsequently beaten less than four lengths on ground livelier than he would appreciate and it was clear he was no back-number in this. Sent up to track The Anvil (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) after the initial stages, the grey was sent past that pacemaker with stamina assured two furlongs from home and it was soon clear that he would be hard to peg back. As Ryan Moore unleashed Wings of Eagles, who had enjoyed a perfect trip under cover from his stablemates, Pat Smullen was winding up Cracksman for a sustained effort out wide. That Oppenheimer homebred was using his Frankel stride to get ever closer as the line approached, but Capri had already stolen a march and the line came in time for another golden result for Ballydoyle's tactical nous.

Heffernan, whose group and grade 1 tally worldwide exceeds several of the leading European riders, partnered Soldier of Fortune (Ire) to glory in this in 2007 and Frozen Fire (Ger) 12 months later and commented, “He's a horse I've always liked, ever since his maiden at Galway and he's been running very well in all the trials. The open space and flat track here was ideal and Aidan's improve little by little, so I got lucky today. To be fair to him, at Epsom I wanted to be in the first six early but he broke slowly and I had no choice but to sit in. They stacked up in front of me and I went six-wide a half-furlong too early on a staying horse, but he was still only beaten four lengths. I wanted to be handy today and it all went pretty much to plan. It's been nearly 10 years since I won this and I was getting pretty hungry!”

Aidan O'Brien was not holding back in his praise for the stable's second jockey, saying, “Seamus has been a part of our family for over 20 years now. He is an amazing fella–talented, dedicated, loyal and an unbelievable rider. What he did today wasn't an easy thing to do. The pace was strong up front, and he was sitting right in the eye of the storm. He had a choice how close he followed it or not to follow it, and he knew all the fancied horses were behind him. It was a masterclass from him really. He has great experience, he's a great fella to deal with people, has a great way about him, and we feel privileged and delighted to be working with him every day.” Capri may be due a break now, according to his trainer. “John [Magnier], Michael [Tabor] and Derrick [Smith] will have a talk about where he goes next. We were looking at Highland Reel for the King George and this horse has been busy, so he might have a rest and we could think about an autumn campaign for him.”

Cracksman's performance was a staying one and early evidence is that the Frankels are getting further than expected, so it could be that he has a St Leger horse in his first crop. Whether that is Cracksman or not remains to be seen, but jockey Pat Smullen is certain his mount will be a major force in time. “He ran an excellent race. He got a little bit further back than we had planned, but he never really travelled through the race and showed a lot of immaturity still,” he explained. “He's very babyish. It wasn't ideal to have to come around one in the straight, but I just wasn't going well enough. To his credit, he got it together and stayed on very well to the line. I thought when I got the better of Wings of Eagles I had it, but the grey horse battled away well. He's run an excellent race. It's unfortunate he's got beat, but he's a horse that will only keep progressing from here on.”

Capri hails from an esteemed Jean-Luc Lagardere dynasty, with his second dam being the G2 Prix de Malleret and G3 Prix de la Nonette winner and G1 Prix Vermeille second Diamilina. She is herself a daughter of the Malleret runner-up Diamonaka, a half-sister to the G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Diamond Mix (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}) who produced Diamond Green (Fr). Successful in the G3 Prix La Rochette, he was also placed in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and G1 St James's Palace S. before taking up stud duties. This family has stamina running through it the whole way, with Bauer (Ire) (Halling) almost winning the G1 Melbourne Cup and the G3 Prix Penelope scorer Diamond Dance (Dancehall) responsible for the G2 Prix de Pomone winner Diamond Tango (Fr) (Acatenango {Ger}). Capri has a 2-year-old full-brother named Cypress Creek (Ire) and a yearling full-sister.