Auguste Rodin was a historic winner of last week’s Irish Derby, giving Aidan O’Brien a 100th classic win in Europe, though the race itself was unsatisfactory for a few reasons.

It is hard to assess exactly what unfolded, the injury to San Antonio meaning the replay is incomplete, as several of the field were hampered to a greater or lesser degree and an already stop-start pace was altered.

One thing we did learn is that Auguste Rodin may be stretched by a strongly run mile and a half; in his two Derbys, the Ballydoyle front runners seemed there to moderate the gallop rather than ensure a strong pace.

Talk of him being a Triple Crown horse earlier in the year seems a long time ago, and he may prove better over 10 furlongs (he raced quite keenly here) which he will need to be to compete against older rivals.

Unacceptable

Seamus Heffernan’s ride on the runner-up Adelaide River was another unsatisfactory aspect. Team tactics are an accepted part of races like this, but the lack of urgency from the rider in the first half of the straight was not acceptable, as viewed from the perspective of a reasonable and informed member of the racing public and the stewards should have at least asked a few pointed questions.

The Epsom form, which had seemed strong coming into the race, received knocks via Sprewell and White Birch, albeit with the mitigation that both were hampered while it is possible several relatively quick runs on fast ground caught up with them, Jessica Harrington at least being of that opinion with Sprewell.

The other Group 1 over the weekend, the Pretty Polly Stakes, was not without controversy as the winner Via Sistina caused significant hampering when she and Jamie Spencer swept from the rear to win.

Her final three furlongs, per Timeform split, were the third fastest on the card behind the winner and runner-up in the opening maiden. Spencer said a aterwards that he wanted to be forward, but his mount was slowly away, so he needed a new plan, and she was quite an impressive winner though the runner-up Stay Alert in a first-time tongue-tie travelled at least as well and got interfered with before not losing any ground on the winner late.

Via Sistina would not look out of place against male rivals on the evidence of her last two starts though the plan is for her to stick to her own sex and the turn-of-foot she showed here will be needed in her next possible target down in distance in the Falmouth Stakes.

Away from the Group 1s, the most significant race was surely the Railway Stakes. It produced a fine training and tactical performance from Adrian Murray, bringing Bucanero Fuerte back quickly after Royal Ascot while also ensuring he had the strong pace he needed at six furlongs with a pacemaker.

He may have won on the opening card of the turf season, but he is a big sort and a full sibling to Abbaye winner Wooded, and there is more to come up in trip, albeit that he is thought best on slower ground.

Blustery conditions were influential in weekend results

As with the last big meeting at the Curragh over Guineas weekend, the wind seemed to play a part in the results, especially on Saturday and Sunday. Wind speeds as high as 30 kph were evident on Saturday while Sunday was similar, and it was a tailwind throughout which made it difficult to come from behind, particularly on the straight track.

The result that drove home the bias for me was Aussie Girl making all in the premier handicap on Sunday over seven furlongs despite having previously shaping up like she had too much speed for that trip.

Marking up

The runner-up in that race was Lan Cinnte and she is worth marking up for finishing as close as she did. She raced off the rail in the rear of mid-division and ran on well into second despite having nothing to carry her into the race, the bulk of the action on the far side.

Her two previous runs this season had been over a mile, a trip that had looked sharp enough for her, so running so well over seven furlong was a fine effort given she is by Saxon Warrior.

Later on the same card, Lord Massusus looked to have little chance from his position in the rear of midfield in the Celebration Stakes but finished strongly into fourth.

He raced keenly on his first start in 57 days, shaping like one that would suit more forceful tactics, and on this evidence, he should be able to deliver on the promise of a couple of early season wins.

The opening juvenile maiden on Saturday was won in good style by City Of Troy but the second Galen looked disadvantaged by his track position given the wind, doing much the best of those held up and posting the fastest final three furlong split on the card, 0.04 seconds quicker than the winner.

He is entered in the National Stakes and a maiden should be a formality for him.

Plenty of luck needed at Naas

THE straight track at Naas tends to produce biases on and off during the flat season, with weather and rail alignment likely the main reasons, and there are times when they persist through the card to the point where they are the defining factor in results.

On other days, the track rides cleaner and fairer, the ground no better in one part than another, and pace and position become more important though these more transient biases are still worthy of analysis, perhaps more so because they are less obvious and flip from race to race.

Last Wednesday’s meeting fell into the latter category. Kairyu was a wide-margin winner of the opening five-furlong maiden, having raced on the far side but the four that chased him home were separated by relatively little, two of those coming up each rail.

Kairyu looked like a good prospect in pulling clear to give Michael O’Callaghan a first juvenile winner of the season but the fourth, Nikki Swango, is also worth mentioning.

She had an interesting market profile here, being backed from 33/1 to 6/1 in the morning before opening 20/1 on the show and drifting to 40/1 but showed plenty here over a trip that looked too sharp.

She was held in a pocket from around halfway and only got out late when running on well and shaped second best on the day.

In the low-grade handicap that followed, it was all about pace and position as the high-drawn horses that raced near side got away on those on the far side.

Exception

The exception was Teddy Boy (fourth from stall three), and he is starting to look well-treated off a basement mark, his last win having come off 54, with Bellewstown an obvious target for him, his form figures there reading 43134.

Catherine Chroi finished sixth from box 10 but she raced on the far side throughout and was out of this race from an early stage, too far back in the wrong part of the track, doing well to finish as close as she did.

She has been one of the unluckiest horses around in the first half of the flat season, repeatedly running into bad draws and/or trouble, and is well-handicapped.

However, being a hold-up sprinter means she can be a magnet for such misfortune.

The winner of the race, So Majestic, was drawn in the right place in stall 17 but, even so, might be one to keep onside. She was a three-year-old beating older sprinters in a good time while she passed the eye test too, always travelling strongly.

Perhaps more importantly, she is bred to be much better than a 47-65 handicapper.

Having been bought by her current trainer Kate McGivern for €68,000 as a yearling she was sold for €160,000 as a breezer and finished up with William Haggas where she got sick and never raced before McGivern bought her back for €29,000.

It looks as if she has got her cake and can eat it too, as she has the money and the horse, and this filly from the family of Ballyogan Stakes winner Majestic Queen is a sprinter on the up.

The feature on the card was the Listed Oaks Trial and the second and third, Empress Of Beauty and Snowcapped, shaped as well as the winner.

Empress Of Beauty, having just her second start, impressed with how smoothly she made up her ground from the rear of mid-division, the effort telling late on, and it is hoped she will not have to wait as long as her stablemate Term Of Endearment (who is often ridden the same way) for a win.

Snowcapped took longer to pick up in the middle of the track, shaping like a strong stayer at this trip despite it being her first run over it, and if anything, she must have been well-treated to win over shorter distances previously.

The well-backed favourite Maxux was disappointing in ninth, but she had a plethora of excuses. Her track position in the rear was not ideal while she was one of the four fillies in the race whose jockeys reported them having issues with the first bend, in her case a nasty-looking slip.

She was also showing signs of coming into season and the race was just 10 days on from an impressive debut, so she is not one to give up on if given a little break after this.