RACING:THE FORM BOOK rather than any hype about the Queen Elizabeth's horse Carlton House proved the key to yesterday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby as Treasure Beach and his jockey Colm O'Donoghue provided champion trainer Aidan O'Brien with another clean sweep in Ireland's premier Classic.
On face value the result was no more a surprise than the fact that Treasure Beach was O’Brien’s sixth Irish Derby victory in a row, and a ninth in all and his total of 26 domestic Classic victories leaves him just one short of equalling the legendary Vincent O’Brien’s record haul. That the winner was followed home by his stable companions Seville and Memphis Tennessee was hardly uncharted territory for the all-powerful Ballydoyle team either. This was a fourth 1-2-3 in the Irish Derby for O’Brien. In fact the benefit of hindsight yielded the only surprise that Carlton House started such a warm favourite.
The queen’s colt struggled home fourth after never going like a winner in the straight and was reduced to finishing even further behind Treasure Beach than when they were placed second and third behind Pour Moi at Epsom. But while Carlton House’s ownership has always guaranteed him plenty of headlines, the exact opposite had applied to his old rival up to yesterday.
Despite boasting the single best piece of form going into the €1.25 highlight, Treasure Beach had never enjoyed a profile like some of his flashier pals at home in Ballydoyle. A Chester Vase success before Epsom did nothing to change that and he had frequently been dismissed as a horse who managed to get himself beaten in a Listowel Nursery last year. But solid consistency rather than any “flash” got its reward in front of a 21,768 attendance that was almost 2,500 down on 2010.
He had the perfect partner in O’Donoghue, so often before the “nearly man” in the Irish Derby but who has been an integral part of O’Brien’s Classic juggernaut in the last fifteen years. The 30-year-old from Buttevant, Co Cork, had tasted Classic success on Astronomer Royal in the 2007 French Guineas and won last year’s Canadian International on Joshua Tree. However, success in Ireland’s richest race had proved frustratingly elusive.
After guiding the 150 to 1 shot Roosevelt to an unlikely third place in 2003, he was also third on Tycoon a year later. O’Donoghue then finished second on Scorpion in 2005 before filling the runner-up spot again in both 2009 and last year with Golden Sword and Midas Touch respectively. Treasure Beach threatened a breakthrough victory for the popular rider at Epsom earlier in the month only for Pour Moi to nut him on the line. There was no mistake yesterday.
As Memphis Tennessee cut out the pace, both Treasure Beach and Seville moved up to challenge in the straight as Carlton House failed to pick up on ground that was officially good despite monsoon-like conditions on Friday. Seville looked to hold the initiative for much of the final quarter mile but Treasure Beach displayed characteristic grit to edge him by three parts of a length.
“It’s a great relief as much as anything else. I’ve been lucky enough to win big races around the world but the Derby here is the race every Irish jockey wants to win,” said O’Donoghue. “He’s an uncomplicated horse and I had a lot of confidence in him after Epsom.”
O’Brien has displayed similar levels of confidence in his jockey in the past but recognised how yesterday’s Classic was a different proposition for O’Donoghue. “There was pressure on him. It’s the first time he rode a real fancied one in the race. He’d ridden outsiders to be placed but there was a lot riding on his shoulders today. And he settled him and produced him brilliantly,” O’Brien said.
Thirty years after winning the Irish Derby with Shergar, Michael Stoute was denied a fourth win and had no excuses for Carlton House. “He came there and you’re thinking something’s going to happen: but it didn’t,” he said. “We will pull him back in trip.”
O’Brien indicated the Grand Prix de Paris could be next for Seville, on whom Séamus Heffernan got a two-day whip ban, while a midsummer break may be a preferred option for Treasure Beach.
One firm make him as low as 4 to 1 for September’s St Leger.
That’s what a Classic win can do for your profile.
