Betfred Derby (Group 1)

Epsom Saturday

CITY Of Troy may have disappointed in the 2000 Guineas, but Aidan O’Brien was at pains to explain he had lost no faith in the brilliant Dewhurst winner, with that belief justified in scintillating style at Epsom on Saturday, with the son of Justify overcoming a tricky draw to run out an authoritative winner of the Derby, where he started a lukewarm favourite at 3/1.

City Of Troy broke slightly to his left from stall one, but there was greater drama at the other end of the stalls as the once-raced Voyage stumbled and unseated Pat Dobbs shortly after the start, and thereafter ran loose, leading the runners home but luckily causing no significant interference in doing so.

The early running was cut out by Ballydoyle pair Euphoric and Los Angeles and the pace was strong and sustained.

Being drawn on the inner, but with the field sweeping right-handed after the start, meant that City Of Troy was unable to get into a prominent position, and Ryan Moore had to ride for luck, with the favourite settled in midfield and having to avoid the weakening Mr Hampstead at Tattenham Corner.

After steering round that potential obstacle, Moore found the gaps opening up invitingly in front of him, and he found himself tracking Euphoric as the field straightened for home, while Ambiente Friendly (James Fanshawe/Rab Havlin), who had also travelled notably strongly into contention, was angled wide of the leaders for his run.

Travelling best

The Lingfield Derby Trial winner appeared to be travelling best of all early in the straight, but with Havlin keeping his powder dry, Moore kicked decisively on City Of Troy and the pair hit the front with well over a quarter of a mile left.

Had there been any deficiency in his stamina, such a move would have found him out, but although Ambiente Friendly responded willingly when Havlin belatedly pressed the button, the leader galloped on resolutely to maintain a margin of two and three-quarter lengths at the line, with Los Angeles (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan) keeping on dourly for third but beaten fully six lengths by his illustrious stable companion.

Given some comments about the quality of the field coming into the race, the Derby certainly delivered more than many expected on the day, with the winner silencing his doubters in the best style, and the runner-up delivering on the ample promise of his Lingfield success.

Los Angeles did well given he was closer to a strong pace than ideal and also deserves credit, as does Dancing Gemini, who moved from the rear into fourth with over a furlong left before failing to see out the trip.

Runner-up in the French 2000 Guineas on his previous start, he could still prove top-class when dropping in trip.

The only real disappointment of the race was Ancient Wisdom who ought to have been suited by the ease in the ground given his juvenile exploits, but he went backwards from his reappearance run in the Dante and now has something to prove.

Remain forever

This was a 10th Derby triumph for O’Brien, whose Epsom dominance will surely remain forever in the record books, while Ryan Moore was registering a fourth win in the race.

Speaking to the assembled press, O’Brien said: “The exciting thing for us is Justify; he has looked very special all the way and the class that they have, speed as well as stamina, is amazing.

“Ryan gave him an incredible ride and I’m so grateful to everyone for the work they have done. We knew the Guineas was totally wrong and I made mistakes training him, that’s the bottom line.

“There were stones I didn’t look under, he was too fresh, he was unprepared, he blew up, that’s the reality.

“But we learned from it and knew the ability he had – and since then everything has been beautiful.”

Asked if City Of Troy is the best Derby winner he has trained, O’Brien declared: “I’d say no doubt. Because he has the cruise, he has the balance, he quickens, and he stays. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”

Asked about how the race panned out for him on the winner, Ryan Moore answered: “I had a nice position, but then the horses in front of me weren’t the right ones to take me as far as I wanted to go so I had to find a little bit of room.

“The race opened up with the loose and I travelled well into the straight. He picked up and went to the front very easy; with the loose horse in front of him I felt he didn’t know what to do, but he changed his leads near the line and went on again.

“I’m just delighted as he showed so much as a two-year-old, but we got a few things wrong on the day in the Guineas. We didn’t lose faith in the horse and stuck to the plan, and it’s paid off.

“We believed if he turned up like we thought he would he’d be too good for them, and he was.”

Rest of the card

BREEGE (John and Sean Quinn/Jason Hart) has often been the bridesmaid since making a winning debut, but she enjoyed her own day in the sun when landing the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at odds of 5/1.

The Starspangledbanner filly had been placed on all three starts at this level previously but hadn’t won a race of any description since making a winning racecourse bow at Wetherby as a two-year-old.

However, she enjoyed her day in the sun in what became a rather messy race, getting to the front early in the straight and holding the final challenge of the luckless pair Chic Columbine (George Boughey/William Buick) and Royal Dress (James Tate/Ben Coen) to win by a neck and half a length.

The runner-up was the subject of a gamble into 11/4 and had nowhere to go at a crucial stage before finishing well, and it was a similar story with the third, who had beaten Breege narrowly in the Listed Conqueror Stakes at Goodwood last month.

Near misses

Those tales of woe won’t bother Andrew Black, whose horses now run under the Chasemore Farm banner, and few would begrudge Breege her win after a series of near misses.

13/8 favourite Running Lion, withdrawn from last year’s Oaks after playing up in the stalls, was away on terms here and avoided the trouble that blighted others’ chances, but she found nothing when asked for an effort and is proving expensive to follow.

Sean Quinn felt that Breege has been unfairly maligned in some quarters, saying: “She’s a filly that was running at the highest level last year, she was placed at Royal Ascot and just touched off in the Whispering Angel at Glorious Goodwood.

“She ran well all last year and on her comeback this season at Goodwood, beaten two short-heads, but people have started suggesting she didn’t want to win. We didn’t think that, we thought she was just unlucky, and today she gritted it out. She really battled and she’s got her head in front again.

“It’s wonderful to win a race named after the late Queen at this wonderful track. She will run in the Group 2 fillies’ race at Royal Ascot, the Duke of Cambridge, all being well. You couldn’t say she didn’t deserve this, so we’re delighted.”

ROYAL Scotsman (Paul and Oliver Cole/Jamie Spencer) looked destined for big things after last year’s excellent effort in the 2000 Guineas, but things haven’t gone to plan since, but he relished a drop in class under a switch of tactics when an easy winner of the Group 3 Diomed Stakes.

Normally dropped in, Royal Scotsman was taken to the front by Spencer and after dictating at his own pace, the rider kicked early in the straight and his rivals had no answer, with the four-year-old having more in hand than the official margin of two and a quarter lengths over Royal Dubai (Marco Botti/Oisin Murphy); Highland Avenue (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) was third, a further length away.

This was Royal Scotsman’s first win since the Group 2 Richmond Stakes as a two-year-old with his 2023 campaign ending prematurely with puzzling runs in both the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes after that eye-catching return behind Chaldean at Newmarket.

Beaten a long way in the Lockinge on his return, Royal Scotsman was easy to back here and returned at 17/2, but he refound his best form under more suitable conditions than at Newbury, and now appears firmly back on track.

“We’ve always thought a lot of this horse,” said a relieved Oliver Cole. “He had a very good chance in the Guineas and was unlucky; after that there were a couple of disappointing runs, but we found he had bone bruising.

Cocked his jaw

“In the Lockinge he cocked his jaw when he came out the stalls and since then we’ve done lots of stalls work; I spoke to Jamie three times this week and told him just to hold the neck strap.

“I said it very respectfully as he’s a jockey and I’m not, but I just wanted to give him all the rein he could possibly give him and just jump and go forward.

“He’s done that very well and the plan was always to go forward today so he can relax in front. These Gleneagles horses are quite highly strung and if you get into a tussle early on, it costs you at the end. In the back of my mind, I thought he might let us down again, but he really didn’t, and I couldn’t be more pleased.

“Maybe he will go to the Sussex Stakes now. He has an entry at Ascot, but I think that will come too quick. We could even drop him back, as he’s such a good horse and it would not surprise me if he won a Group 1 over six furlongs. He’s so fast at home and the speed he gets up to and the ground he covers is amazing.”

Around the Tracks

CASTLEBLANEY trainer Anthony McCann struck at Ayr on Monday as Little Empire took the 0-65 1m handicap under Callum Shepherd, although the gelding failed to fire when turned out quickly at Wolverhampton the following day.

Little Empire also scored at the latter track in April and his most recent success brought McCann’s score in Britain this season to five, from 28 runners.

Like Little Empire, Fiver Friday has scored twice on British soil this term, and Paul Traynor’s filly put her handler in the spotlight when just winning a Sunday Series fillies’ handicap at Hamilton in front of ITV cameras.

The daughter of The Gurkha looked set for a comfortable victory in the £15,000 contest when hitting the front under claimer Brandon Wilkie two furlongs out, but the 15/2 chance began to tread water inside the last furlong, and ended up clinging on in a blanket finish with the first six home in a seven-runner race separated by little more than a length at the line.