Treasure Beach stars in Derby as most stylish lady wins by a head
NOT EVEN royalty can loosen trainer Aidan O’Brien’s stranglehold on Ireland’s richest flat race. At the Curragh yesterday, he captured his sixth Irish Derby in a row with the Coolmore Stud-owned Treasure Beach, who led home a one-two-three in the race for the Tipperary-based horseman.
The fourth home was Queen Elizabeth II’s Carlton House, who carried the hopes not just of the British monarch, but also of many punters, who sent him off a reasonably well-backed 5/4 favourite.
Her bloodstock adviser and racing manager, John Warren, said yesterday that she was keen to follow up her successful State visit to the Republic by running Carlton House in the race. Unfortunately, he was not good enough on the day to deny O’Brien, who has made the Irish Derby his own with a total of nine wins, eight of them in the last 10 years, and six of them consecutively.
The winning trainer was quick to acknowledge the Queen’s gesture after the race. “She’s a very special lady,” he said, adding that her visit was hugely important for both countries.
Her visit may have given her an inkling of what was to come yesterday, as she took in Coolmore Stud during her stay in the Republic. Coolmore owns not only the winner, but his sire, Galileo, who also fathered the second horse home, Seville, while another of the farm’s stallions, Hurricane Run, is responsible for the third, Memphis Tennessee.
While O’Brien must be getting used to taking the Derby trophy home every year, the win was a first for Treasure Beach’s jockey, Colm O’Donoghue. Coincidentally, three men share ownership of the first three horses home, John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, the partners behind Coolmore Stud, the Tipperary bloodstock operation that has branches in the US and Australia.
While Carlton House was well fancied, the winner was the subject of some support in the betting ring, with bookmakers reporting some high-rollers placed bets of up to €20,000 each-way on the victor, who was originally priced at 4/1, before narrowing to 7/2.
Shrewd punters were not the only ones who walked away from the Curragh feeling a bit better off yesterday.
Niamh Canavan from Gorey, Co Wexford won Most Stylish Lady, earning a five star holiday in Dubai, courtesy of the day’s sponsor, Dubai Duty Free, and €1,000 in spending money.
Onlookers generally agreed that it was her pink hat that clinched the prize, a case of winning by a head.