Latest horse racing news from UK, Ireland, and around the world.

Lambourn toughs it out to land Derby double

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Lambourn extended Aidan O’Brien’s stellar record in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, as he became the 20th horse to follow up Epsom success at the Curragh with a battling victory over stablemate Serious Contender.

Sent off the 8-13 favourite to repeat his Epsom triumph, Ryan Moore tried to replicate Wayne Lordan’s inspired front-running ride on the Surrey Downs, but met stern resistance from Ralph Beckett’s second-string Sir Dinadan who refused to let Lambourn get his own way in front.

Moore stoked up the Epsom hero rounding the home turn and although Sir Dinadan’s challenge began to wilt, it was Ballydoyle stablemate and King George V Stakes runner-up Serious Contender in the hands of Gavin Ryan who loomed large looking a huge threat.

The Ballydoyle pair began to duel inside the final furlong, but Lambourn proved a willing ally for Moore as his stamina and Classic quality came to the fore to win by three-quarters of a length and earn a place in the history books alongside his sire Australia and grand-sire Galileo who also did the Anglo-Irish Derby double.

Serious Contender finished second at 28-1, with Charlie Johnston’s Epsom runner-up Lazy Griff staying on for third at 14-1.

“He’s a very straightforward horse that gets the trip well,” said O’Brien.

“Ryan was going to be happy if someone came with him as that keeps him focused. He’s a little bit laid-back, a little bit lazy and you could see up the straight he was waiting all the time but that’s him. Ryan gave him a lovely ride.

“Ryan thought he would keep pulling out and he was pricking his ears all the way.

“He could be a King George horse, he could be an Arc horse. He gets the trip well and is very sound and very genuine.

“We minded the second horse for a handicap in Ascot that we thought he couldn’t get beat and then a horse came and beat us that was entered in the King George so it just goes to show what can happen.”

Darryll Holland ‘owes everything’ to Barry Hills

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Tributes continue to pour in for the late Barry Hills, with Darryll Holland describing one of the greatest trainers of his generation as a “father figure”.

Hills, who died at the age of 88 and saddled over 3,000 winners during a long and decorated career in the training ranks, had a huge influence on Holland’s early career and is also credited with setting many on the path to success within the racing industry.

Holland enjoyed many big-race wins around the world in the saddle before setting up as a trainer himself.

However, he will always remember fondly the early days of his racing life which were shaped by Hills and his wife Penny, becoming champion apprentice under Hills’ stewardship in 1991.

Darryll Holland began his career with Barry Hills
Darryll Holland began his career with Barry Hills (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I owe everything to Barry and Penny, they engineered my career and guided me to where I am today,” said Holland.

“He made me champion apprentice and then first jockey and he was a tough man but very fair and a genius of a trainer. It’s an end of an era really.

“I was a raw 15-year old from Manchester and he guided me through, I owe him an awful lot.

“It was a steep learning curve at times and I had the pleasure of bumping into him at the Lockinge meeting (Newbury) and introducing my kids to him and he was still as scary then as he was 30 years ago, but he was an amazing fellow and I always had nothing but respect for him.

“He was a father figure and him and Penny were like my second mum and dad and it was a very sad day yesterday when I got told the news from Michael (Hills).”

Nicky Henderson has paid tribute to his great friend Barry Hills
Nicky Henderson has paid tribute to his great friend Barry Hills (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

There were also words of sorrow from the world of jumps racing, as Nicky Henderson reminisced about the times he enjoyed with his great Lambourn neighbour.

Henderson said: “We were good friends but he certainly taught me a few things. I was a bit younger and it was a bit of a strange duet really but we would do an awful lot of things together on and off the racecourse. We had some wonderful times.

“He always said whatever he thought and we could have had an argument, but there was no point as he was always going to win it. If he said something you disagreed with, you just went with it as he was always going to prove he was right in the end!

“He made himself but he also made a lot of people who got on the bus with him and we have to be very grateful to have been a part of it.”

Barry Hills was head of a great racing dynasty (PA)

Speaking to Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday, he added: “It was one of those incredible innings and you get the feeling the last few weeks haven’t been easy.

“He’d had a few adversities over the year but kept coming back and back, mainly through Penny, who has just been unbelievable throughout.

“He would always call it ‘God’s waiting room’ and he visited it a few times but kept coming back and these last few weeks he just didn’t want to leave the party and that’s what he was all about, as he had such a will to live and love it all.

“That family has just been remarkable and Penny has pulled him through so many battles, he would keep coming back for more and what a lot of fun we have had over some fantastic years.

“He was just a man of huge integrity and friendship and the family he brought up, he would just be so proud of them all. I know he will look on it as a fantastic era, as we all do.”

Skukuza gains second Curragh victory for Ed Dunlop

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Ed Dunlop’s Skukuza showed his liking for the Curragh once again when claiming the Colm McLoughlin Celebration Stakes.

The four-year-old had made a successful raid on a valuable handicap at the Kildare track on Irish 2,000 Guineas day but this time was back for Listed action and was sent off at 11-4 in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Quickly sent to the head of affairs by his big-race pilot, the Newmarket traveller never missed a beat on the front end as Moore dictated the pace before sending his mount on to secure a two-and-a-quarter-length victory over Johnny Murtagh’s Alakazi, with Paddy Twomey’s 2-1 favourite Currawood further back in third.

Robin Trevor Jones, travelling head lad to Ed Dunlop, said: “We ran him in the Britannia last year where he ran a great race (second) but it really jarred him up and we couldn’t risk him on that fast ground at Ascot this year.

“It was a brave decision not to run when you are one of the favourites for the Royal Hunt Cup but the plan has worked. He’s a Listed winner now so we are growing.

“Ryan really wanted to get a lead but he didn’t expect any pace on so he said I might have to make my own running which he did. The horse has never done that, but he did everything right and I think the further he went the further he was going to win.

“He likes coming back here for Classic days so maybe there is something for him on Oaks day!”

Vespertilio pips My Mate Alfie in Dash thriller

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Vespertilio edged out last year’s winner My Mate Alfie in a thrilling finish to the Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Dash Stakes at the Curragh.

One of Willie McCreery’s stable stars, Verspertilio was not beaten far in the Greenlands Stakes over this course and distance last time out but was given a more patient ride this time around by Dylan Browne McMonagle.

As Ger Lyons’ My Mate Alfie produced his customary honest challenge from up near the pace, Browne McMonagle found himself towards the rear of the field as the race began to develop, but he had a willing partner as the daughter of Night Of Thunder quickly weaved her way to within striking distance.

It was soon left to the the 2-1 favourite to fight out the conclusion with her main market rival My Mate Alfie, with just a short head separating them at the finish, as Vespertilio tasted success for the first time since claiming the Debutante Stakes as a two-year-old.

McCreery said: “She needs cover and lots of speed. Dylan was very patient and said when she hit the front she thought she had everything done and pulled herself up.

“I’m delighted to get her back in the winner’s enclosure. She won a Group Two here as a two-year-old and was third in a French Guineas.

“It was hard to persuade the owners to bring her back to six furlongs as she had such good form over a mile, but it has paid off – Night Of Thunder puts loads of speed into them, the important thing is to switch her off early.

“We might go for the Maurice De Gheest. She has a French breeder premium so she gets another bonus on top if she does well over there.”

Arc emerges as ultimate target for Map Of Stars

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Map Of Stars will be pointed towards the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when he returns from a summer break, after pleasing connections with a respectable effort in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old had made a fine start to the new campaign, winning his first two starts before going down narrowly by a neck when up against Andre Fabre’s Sosie in the Prix Ganay.

Sent off 13-2 for a red-hot Group One at the Royal meeting, he was not disgraced when fourth behind Ombudsman, with his team now deciding the time is right to step up in trip with Europe’s most prestigious middle-distance prize the ultimate aim in the autumn.

“We were not disappointed at all with him and with the French style of racing where they tend to go steady then sprint, he will never have gone as fast in his life as they went in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser for Map Of Stars’ owners Wathnan Racing.

“He’s done very little wrong and he will have learned a lot from Ascot. He’s still a baby really and still growing up and will come forward from that mentally.

“He ran a solid race and I think we’ll give him a break now, he’s had four runs and we’ll come back for one of the Arc trials and step him up in distance.

“He’s bred for it, so we’ll run him in a trial and take a look at the Arc. I’m sure he’s going to get a mile and a half and I think he’s going to be better over that distance.

“If he is he’ll likely handle the likely soft ground and it’s the obvious race to target him at. Whether he will be good enough, who knows, but he’s got plenty of ability.”

New Ground full throttle towards Grand Prix de Paris test

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The Grand Prix de Paris is the likely next objective for New Ground following his fourth-place finish in the Betfred Derby.

Trained in France by Henri-Francois Devin, the New Bay colt faced a huge rise in class for the premier Classic at Epsom, but justified the decision of owner-breeders Juddmonte to supplement him with an excellent effort in defeat.

The three-year-old now has the opportunity to prove that performance was no fluke, with an appearance at ParisLongchamp on July 13 on the agenda.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager, said: “New Ground is in the Grand Prix de Paris and he’s in the German Derby. We’ll look at both, but it feels like the Grand Prix de Paris is probably the plan for him.

“He’s a good horse, I think Henri always felt he was very talented and we knew a step up to a mile and a half was going to suit.

“I thought given how he behaved in the preliminaries, he ran an unbelievably good race as he got very warm and very excited, but he came home well.

“I think we’re heading towards the Grand Prix de Paris and hopefully he’ll run a good race there.”

Racing Bulletin for 29/06/2025

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Steve Cauthen salutes ‘mentor’ Barry Hills with memories of special relationship

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It was Barry Hills who first introduced Steve Cauthen to both British life and racing and one of the all-time great riders remembered fondly the times spent with his mentor and friend after his death at the age of 88.

Although a Triple Crown-winning jockey Stateside, Cauthen was only 19 when owner Robert Sangster lured the ‘Kentucky Kid’ across the Atlantic in 1979, where the young American was given a crash course in British mannerisms but quickly inducted into the Hills fold with open arms.

Cauthen told the PA news agency: “I can’t say enough good things about both Barry and (his wife) Penny and when I came over in 1979 they not only took me under their wing they took me into their house.

“They were wonderful to me, Barry took a day or two to get used to as he could be gruff at times, but he was always trying to just get the job done – Penny was great at helping me understand he wasn’t necessarily mad at me!

Barry Hills played a huge role in the career of Steve Cauthen (PA)

“They always made sure I had everything I needed when they were shipping me off out of town or to Scotland or wherever, it was a great relationship.

“Barry taught me a lot and helped me grow up and helped me to get to the top in England. Barry made a big move from stable lad to trainer and was never going back and he would try to get everyone in the yard motivated to ‘get off their arse’ as he would say.

“He was a great horseman, but more than that he loved to have fun – he bought me my first set of golf clubs, he was a mentor and like a dad to me.”

As well as their budding relationship off the track, Hills and Cauthen’s association on it was also an immediate success as Tap On Wood secured 2000 Guineas glory in their very first Classic in unison.

There would be many other great days together during their time, with the 65-year-old American never able to forget Gildoran providing the fitting finish to his time at Manton in the 1984 Ascot Gold Cup.

Gildoran (left) winning the Ascot Gold Cup in the hands of Steve Cauthen
Gildoran (left) winning the Ascot Gold Cup in the hands of Steve Cauthen (PA)

Cauthen continued: “Barry was a great trainer, but we had some ups and downs and when I first got there we won three or four Group races, including the 2000 Guineas, and then the horses got sick, which was a nightmare.

“The next year things weren’t all that great, but we kept going and building and the winners at Ascot started to happen and Cormorant Wood came along and we would win some big races with her.

“Gildoran winning the Gold Cup at Ascot the last year I was with them was obviously a big moment being Mr Sangster’s horse and it was an exciting day which capped off our six years together.”

Cauthen would eventually head east to Newmarket to link up with Sir Henry Cecil, but he would never forget his adopted home and a friendship with the Hills family that has stood the test of time.

He may no longer be able to reminisce with one of the outstanding trainers of his generation on his visits to the UK, but remains sure Hills’ many words of wisdom will remain ringing in the ears of those closest to him.

Cauthen said: “We had some great times. There are so many funny stories down the years and it was tough for me to move to Henry Cecil. Even though it was the right thing for my career, it was a hard thing to do as I felt so close to Barry and Penny.

“We remained great friends and they are like family to me. I was honoured I was one of the first calls Michael (Hills) made after Barry died, as he knew how close we were.

“I would never go back to Britain without calling them and seeing when we could meet, it was always my number one priority.

“Penny and the family will miss him, but I’m sure he will still be with us all. We will never forget the stuff he would say and there will be situations where it will hit you right between the eyes and his words will pop into our heads.”

Spirit Mixer produces 25-1 Northumberland Plate surprise

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Spirit Mixer made it third time lucky in the JenningsBet Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.

A close second to top-class stayer Trueshan in 2023, Andrew Balding’s charge could finish only ninth 12 months ago and went off at 25-1 on this latest visit to Gosforth Park for a race affectionately known as the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’.

Bred in the purple as a son of Frankel and owner Jeff Smith’s Group One-winning mare Arabian Queen, Spirit Mixer was delivered with his challenge in the home straight and knuckled down to get the better Dancing In Paris by a neck under a delighted Rob Hornby, who travelled north for a solitary ride.

“He was never a 25-1 shot in my head. I’ve won big races on him before and he was coming in off the back of a really good run at Goodwood,” said the jockey.

“I could have gone to Windsor and had four or five rides, but I wanted to come and ride him. He’s a horse that’s done no harm to me and it’s fantastic to get that sort of reward today.

“There’s a great crowd here today – I don’t usually make the trek up north this far! I put it in my Sat Nav and it’s just over five hours to get home, so this will make it a bit easier.”

Jockey Rob Hornby with Spirit Mixer after winning the Northumberland Plate
Jockey Rob Hornby with Spirit Mixer after winning the Northumberland Plate (Scott Heppell/PA)

He added: “He’s such a cool horse, he’s seven years old now and a beautifully-bred homebred of Mr Smith’s. He’s just thriving and really enjoying his racing at his tender age.

“The race went pretty smooth. I thought I was jostling for the lead early enough, but he got into a battle and outstayed them then inside the last furlong.

“It’s important to be riding winners on Saturdays in these big races and I’ve been fortunate enough to win a July Cup in these colours (on Alcohol Free), they mean a great deal to me, as does riding winners for Kingsclere.

“What a joy he is to own and to train and to ride.”

Whirl denies Kalpana in pulsating Pretty Polly Stakes

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Whirl gained Epsom compensation when edging out Kaplana in an enthralling Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes.

The Group One event looked a match on paper between Andrew Balding’s proven Group One performer Kalpana (5-6 favourite) and Aidan O’Brien’s narrow Oaks second, and so it proved as the pair served up a Curragh Classic.

Ryan Moore was quickly away dictating terms aboard the 13-8 second-favourite, with Colin Keane never far away aboard the Juddmonte-owned Kalpana and must have thought the race was his for the taking when Whirl was asked for maximum effort with two furlongs to run with Kalpana still travelling menacingly.

However, Whirl was not for giving in and after a titanic tussle the Wootton Bassett filly pulled out extra inside the final furlong to shade a length and a quarter verdict and deny Juddmonte back-to-back victories in the feature event after Bluestocking 12 months ago.

“She’s an incredible filly. She’s just progressed and she loves getting into a fight,” said O’Brien.

“Obviously we saw that she stays a mile and a half at Epsom. She’s absolutely concrete, really. We knew that obviously she wouldn’t mind the mile and a quarter as she was very impressive in York when she won the Musidora.

“They got into a battle turning in and battling all the way up the straight like that at the Curragh takes some courage and they kept going together. Ryan said he felt 50 yards from the line that she had a look at the camera and he knew he had her then.”

O’Brien was winning the Pretty Polly for the sixth time and reserved special praise for Moore, who was joining the list of great jockeys who have won the race three times.

“Ryan gave her a brilliant ride, he got the fractions absolutely spot on,” added O’Brien.

“It’s a difficult thing when you are running a mile-and-a-half filly back at a mile and a quarter. You are trying to spread the stamina out over a mile and a quarter without stretching the elastic too long, but he got it absolutely spot on.

“He got the favourite to challenge him and this filly gets a mile and a half so there was no point turning it into a sprint. It was the plan to spread it out and let the two of them get together and see who was going to be the best.

“As they say ‘let the best horse jump the ditch’ after that. Two great jockeys, what can I say about Ryan, day in day out he’s incredible.

“They went strong and the two of them went together. Ryan and Colin knew they were each other’s dangers and they weren’t going to give each other an inch, which they couldn’t afford to.

All smiles from Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien
All smiles from Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien (Brian Lawless/PA)

“Those kind of races are few and far between. When you have that type of quality horse lining up and two riders like that. On ground like this, in a place like this, it’s a very special weekend.”

As for the future for his winner, O’Brien is inclined to keep an open mind, with Whirl’s Epsom conqueror Minnie Hauk also up his sleeve for the season’s major events.

He said: “She can go anywhere now this filly. She can come back here to the Oaks, she can go to the Nassau (at Goodwood).

“She’s an unusual filly. She’s tough and she’s not even blowing there, her nostrils weren’t even flaring.

“She’s obviously a very high-class filly and it’s very exciting. It’s possible she’s kept apart from Minnie Hauk, but the lads could let them run together in the Oaks.

“I’d imagine if Minnie Hauk comes back to the Oaks and she’s well she’ll be let go by herself and this filly could do other things.

“She’s not slow either.”

Quinault not for passing in Criterion Stakes at York

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Jason Hart excelled aboard Quinault, as Stuart Williams’ stable star maintained his unbeaten York record by making every yard in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes.

The five-year-old has long been an admirable servant for his Newmarket handler and always capable of mixing it at a high level and proved so once again to notch his 11th career success.

A 12-1 chance for the first running of the Group Three event on the Knavesmire, Hart wasted little time taking the initiative and although plenty tried to reel Quinault in late on, he held on gamely for a length success over Kevin Ryan’s fast-finishing Room Service.

Williams said: “We’re delighted and he’s always been a high-class horse. We hoped he was up to winning at Group level, before he’d only won at Listed level but when he gets his own way in front he’s a hard horse to get past and he’s always determined to win which helps.

“Jason gave him a great ride and he had his conditions today which helped. He really likes York and funnily enough he’s won three times at York now and is unbeaten at the track. He’s just a really good horse basically.”

Paddy Power make Quinault a 16-1 chance for the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood, but it is more likely he returns to Yorkshire for a tilt at Group One glory in the upgraded Sky Bet City of York Stakes during the Ebor Festival on August 23.

“I think for sure we’ll have a crack at the City Of York and that was the reason for coming here rather than the Chipchase at Newcastle,” continued Williams.

“We’ll see what he’s like at home but I would imagine the plan would be to go straight to it. If he got a bit fresh at home, which he can and he does take his racing well, we might have to look at something else in between.”

Suzie Songs in tune to upset Flushing Meadows

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Colin Keane conjured a fine tune from Suzie Songs to edge out Flushing Meadows in a thrilling finish to the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh.

Keane and trainer Ger Lyons may have been disappointed to see Lady Iman lose her unbeaten record only 35 minutes earlier but quickly gained their revenge on Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore with the Moyglare Stud-owned daughter of Starspangledbanner.

A winner on debut at Cork, Suzie Songs was sent off the 7-2 second-favourite for this Group Three event and it was the market principals who came to the fore inside the final furlong, as Suzie Songs and 1-4 favourite Flushing Meadows engaged in a duel to the finishing post, with only a short head separating the pair at the finish.

Lyons had won the race with his Group One star Babouche 12 months ago and was delighted to find the scoresheet once again, as he now eyes stepping up in trip for the Moyglare Stud Stakes back at the Curragh in September.

He said: “It was a last-minute decision (to run), but the beautiful thing about training for Moyglare is you are allowed to do that, there are no set plans.

“I’m blessed with owners like that, I wake up and I change my mind and do whatever.

“We were watching the entries, it wasn’t the plan and she hasn’t worked since Cork and I just threw her in.

“I thought it got to her today so we’ll give her a wee break and we’ll come back for the Moyglare. It’s a race I’d love to put on the CV.

“We’ve a horse last night that ran well (Justiciar) and this filly. We have a nice bunch of horses heading that route.

“Colin said in Cork that she wanted further and sticking to the original plan her next race would have been seven, but this presented itself during the week with no entries, so here we are.”

Diligent Harry is Chipchase hero for Clive Cox and Saffie Osborne

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Clive Cox was thrilled to see his high-class sprinter Diligent Harry bounce back to his best with a front-running victory in the JenningsBet Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle.

Placed at Group One level in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai last year, the seven-year-old had failed to recapture that form in four previous outings this season, most recently finishing fifth on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Newcastle on Good Friday.

The seven-year-old was a 16-1 shot on his return from over two months off and after a fast start, Diligent Harry quickly built up a significant lead over the chasing back and found more once challenged by Annaf to claimed the Group Three prize by a neck under an excellent ride from Saffie Osborne.

Lambourn-based Cox did not make the long trip north to Gosforth Park, but was in jubilant mood when contacted: “That was brilliant, Saffie has been in to ride him in his last couple of bits of work and it’s great when a plan comes together.

“He went to Dubai last year and ran a great race in the Group One there, but it’s tough at the top.

“We always live in hope, he loves the all-weather and he’s still pretty good, so today was a big target and to go all the way up to Newcastle and win a race like that is very satisfying.

“He’s won a Group Three now and we’ll place him accordingly.”

Osborne added: “Clive was really positive about his chances. I started going to Clive’s a couple of months ago, I rode this horse for the last couple of weeks and he’s a seriously classy horse.

“He’s a horse that was third in a Group One, he jumped out of the stalls today and Clive was keen for me not to wrestle him, so I was quite happy to let him slide on.

“I was able to get a breather into him and I always felt I was holding on to enough. He’s seriously tough and as soon as he felt the other horse coming to his girth he was always pulling out a bit more.”

Lambourn aiming to join list of Ballydoyle giants

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Lambourn will try to follow in the footsteps of some of Ballydoyle’s greatest when attempting to extend Aidan O’Brien’s phenomenal record in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Sunday.

O’Brien has won the Curragh showpiece a record 16 times, including in the past two seasons with Auguste Rodin (2023) and Los Angeles (2024), and now Lambourn will bid to replicate his sire Australia by following up blue riband success from Epsom on home soil.

“He’s a lovely horse and like Australia himself, an absolute gentleman,” said O’Brien.

“He has a great mind, stays well and is uncomplicated. He’s a lovely horse to do anything with and he’s just one of those very unique horses – he’s scopey and classy and obviously we were delighted with him in Epsom.

Aidan O’Brien with Lambourn at Epsom
Aidan O’Brien with Lambourn at Epsom (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

“Wayne (Lordan) gave him a beautiful ride at Epsom and Ryan (Moore) rode him the same in Chester – he rode him forward. He won his races doing that last year and when you have a horse like that who is not held hostage to any other horse in the race or anything, he’s just so straightforward.

“Australia was the only horse we ever had here with no fight or flight response and this horse is the same. When you put him in first gear he stays in first gear and second gear is the same and third, fourth up along.

“He’s not influenced by any of his surroundings or any horse around him – he’s a total independent thinker and those type of horses are really a pleasure to deal with.”

It was Joseph O’Brien who was aboard Lambourn’s sire Australia for his father when he secured dual Derby honours in 2014 and he will now seek to win the race for a second time as a trainer with Epsom third Tennessee Stud after Latrobe’s success in 2018.

Tennessee Stud leaving the parade ring at Epsom
Tennessee Stud leaving the parade ring at Epsom (Adam Morgan/PA)

“We were very proud of Tennessee Stud’s run in Epsom. He got back a little bit early, but he came home very strong,” said O’Brien.

“The plan was to come back to the Curragh and his preparation has gone smoothly. We are excited about a rematch with Lambourn.

“I think Tennessee Stud is open to a lot of improvement. His first run of the year was off an extended lay off, he came forward a lot from that run in Epsom where he ran a career best and we’d love if he could run another career best in the Curragh.”

Ralph Beckett knows what it is like to win the Irish Derby following Epsom disappointment, having seen Westover gain Classic compensation on the Curragh in 2022, and will hope to see his Dante scorer Pride Of Arras bounce back after misfiring in his first shot at Classic glory.

One of two in the race for Beckett alongside Cocked Hat runner-up Sir Dinadan, the Pride Of Arras team are firmly retaining belief in the talented son of New Bay and feel a trip to the Curragh could inspire a return to the sparkling form he showed previously at York.

“You would think Lambourn will try to do similar to what he did at Epsom, we’ve just got to try and see if we can get closer,” said Patrick Cooper, owners David and Vimy Aykroyd’s racing manager.

“The Curragh is one of the great racecourses in the world and the track at the Curragh is as good as there is anywhere – it will suit everyone and there is no horse who isn’t suited by the Curragh.

“When you have a good horse like this you have to enjoy it and he showed us how good he was in the Dante, so we’re entitled to keep dreaming.”

Green Impact ahead of his Irish Derby challenge this weekend
Green Impact ahead of his Irish Derby challenge this weekend (Alan Magee/PA)

Also taking their second crack at Classic glory is Jessica Harrington’s Green Impact, who bounced back from his sixth in the 2000 Guineas to take the Glencairn Stakes earlier this month, with connections now keen to explore a mile and a half with the son of Wootton Bassett.

Harrington said: “At the time I was disappointed about the Guineas, but on reflection it wasn’t a bad run and then he went on to win well at Leopardstown last time. After that it was a case of all roads lead to the Irish Derby.

“I think he’ll stay. He’s by Wootton Bassett out of a Galileo mare and is very laid back and relaxed. He’s a big, long-striding horse and the Curragh should suit him.”

Beautify too strong for Lady Iman in Airlie Stud Stakes

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Beautify showed both plenty of heart and quality to account for Lady Iman at the Curragh and give Aidan O’Brien a fourth straight success in the Airlie Stud Stakes.

Most of the pre-race focus centred on Ger Lyons’ unbeaten 8-15 favourite who skipped Royal Ascot in favour of this Group Two event.

She travelled powerfully before breezing into contention in the hands of Colin Keane – but ultimately she proved no match for Beautify, who stepped up significantly on her debut third at this track and was given a fine front-running ride by Ryan Moore.

The daughter of Wootton Bassett was joined by the big-race favourite who loomed menacingly with a furlong to run, but it was soon one-way traffic as the 2-1 winner galloped on strongly for a two-length success.

“Ryan gave her a lovely ride. She had a lovely run first time and came forward lovely since then,” said O’Brien.

“The plan was to get a run into her and then come here for this race. It’s a very good race, a Group Two, an important race and a great track. It’s a very important race for a filly.”

O’Brien is already eyeing stepping Beautify up to seven furlongs, with a return to the Curragh for the Moyglare Stud Stakes during the Irish Champions Festival a possible option for later in the season.

Ryan Moore with Beautify
Ryan Moore with Beautify (Brian Lawless/PA)

“Ryan was very impressed. He said he’d love to go up to seven with her, that’s a very good sign when you hear him talking like that,” added O’Brien.

“Obviously she’s a Moyglare-type filly when Ryan says that, but obviously gets six very strong and travelled very strong.

“Ryan said she really got going inside the furlong marker and started to really open up. It’s great to hear that.

“She’s by Wootton Bassett who is an incredible stallion. The speed that they have and they stay, which is incredible. It’s very unusual, loads of speed and trips seem to be no problem to them either.”

Lyons was not too downcast in defeat for Lady Iman: “It was trainer error. It was a proper horse race and the best horse won. She (Beautify) will go forward in trip and I’ll drop back in trip.

“In defence of the best jockey in Ireland he’s been telling me for quite a while that she is a five furlong horse, but I just refused to listen to him.

Ger Lyons took defeat for Lady Iman on the chin
Ger Lyons took defeat for Lady Iman on the chin (Brian Lawless/PA)

“She’s a lovely filly. I think the fractions were very quick and when she loomed up to Ryan at the furlong pole I went ‘she’s never that good’, but she just got outstayed.

“She’s a proper horse and she owes us nothing. It would have been lovely to tick the Group Two box but we’ll go back now and look for the fives. Take the winner out of it though and we got six well. Six isn’t beyond us either.

“Sometimes you’d be on the ground when you lose, but I’m not. You walked away there knowing something.

“I can now fix what I know and listen to Colin!”

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