Racing:Dreams of a first Triple Crown hero since 1970 are very much alive after Camelot routed the field in The Derby at Epsom as Aidan and Joseph O'Brien became the first father and son team to claim the Classic.
Sent off the 8-13 favourite on the back of his victory in the 2000 Guineas, hopes appear genuinely high that he will be allowed to tackle the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
O’Brien has now won every British Classic this season and will now try and match his mentor Vincent O’Brien, who trained Nijinsky to win the Triple Crown.
Sea The Stars completed the same Guineas-Derby double in 2009 but did not go for the Leger, instead dropping back to 10 furlongs and then rounding off his career in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Settled at the rear of the nine-runner field by his young rider, Camelot looked to have plenty to do coming down Tattenham Corner, with stablemate Astrology leading the pack. But when O’Brien asked his mount the response was immediate.
He quickened past Main Sequence and just had Astrology to aim at. Once in the clear the result was inevitable and the shortest-priced winner since Gainsborough in 1918 pulled five lengths clear.
Main Sequence stayed every yard and beat Astrology to the line by a short head. Second-favourite Bonfire looked ill at ease on the track and trailed home in sixth.
“You can’t even dream of days like this,” said O’Brien snr, with reference to training a Derby winner ridden by his son.
“I was always happy, I know his body language by now and he looked confident. No-one can describe the feeling, things like this don’t happen.
“I had an idea what he was going to do but we’ve seen things happen here that you can’t control.
“We’ll give the Triple Crown a lot of thought and the boys will make a decision and do whatever is best for the horse. The Triple Crown would be incredible.”
Joseph O’Brien said: “I was a little bit worried coming down the hill because he didn’t handle it very well so he did well to win.
“He is a very special horse and I’m just very fortunate to be able to ride him. I owe a big thanks to everybody, the owners and everyone at home, they do a great job with him.”
Anne-Marie O’Brien, Joseph’s mother and Aidan’s wife, was rather less reserved.
“That was torture,” she said. “I met Lester Piggott last weekend and he said ‘tell Joseph not to be in any hurry’ and I knew when I saw him coming that he had timed it perfectly. I’m thrilled.”
St Nicholas Abbey earlier defended his crown in the Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup at Epsom with another brilliant performance under O’Brien.
Sent off the 8-11 favourite, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf hero was settled towards the rear in the early stages of the mile-and-a-half test, but he was still full of running when O’Brien eased his mount closer rounding the home bend.
While his rivals began to toil, St Nicholas Abbey shot into a clear lead and only had to be pushed out in the final furlong to score by four and a half lengths.
Red Cadeaux came from the back to claim the runner-up spot.
O’Brien junior said: “When he goes to sleep early in his races, he’s a very special horse. He has always shown a lot of ability and he’s really coming back to his old form.
“I got to the front too soon as he picked up going past the four-furlong marker and I didn’t want to disappoint him. When he relaxes and quickens up like that, it takes a very good one to go near him.”
The winning trainer said: “He settled lovely and got into a great rhythm. Joseph just didn’t break it then when he started to come, so it was great.
“He has the option of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot and he has the option of the King George, then obviously there is the Arc at the end of the year. He’s a very exciting horse.”
Part-owner Derrick Smith said: “He’s just vindicated everything we knew about him. It was a procession really. It was very, very impressive.”