Tag Archive for: Betfred Derby

Donnacha O’Brien sets out Irish 2,000 Guineas goal for Proud And Regal

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Proud And Regal is set to come back in trip for the Irish 2,000 Guineas, with trainer Donnacha O’Brien looking to the Betfred Derby with Dee Stakes runner-up Alder.

A son of Galileo, Proud And Regal won three of his five starts as a juvenile – which included the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud – and was third to Sprewell in the Derby Trial at Leopardstown on his return.

A general 33-1 chance for the Derby, his Ballyroe handler felt Proud And Regal showed enough speed for the mile of the Tattersalls-sponsored Irish Guineas on Saturday week.

“I thought the winner won very well,” said O’Brien. “It was kind of a hard race to read. I came away scratching my head a little bit, but the more I saw it, I think we’re going to step him back down in trip for the Irish Guineas.

“I thought he travelled really well. There’s definitely a chance that he will get 10 furlongs and we could be going back there after the Guineas, but the plan is to go to the Curragh for the Irish Guineas.”

Given his pedigree, by champion three-year-old Galileo, who was a dual Derby and King George winner, Proud And Regal is bred to get a mile and a half.

He won on heavy ground at Saint-Cloud over a mile, but O’Brien is uncertain whether the 10-furlong trip at Leopardstown suited.

He said: “I wasn’t sure.

“There is a chance he will definitely be going back up in trip, but two-year-old races are a lot different than older horse races. You can get away with an inadequate distance a lot more at two than you can at three.

“We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but the plan is to go to the Curragh.”

Alder, who was beaten a length and three-quarters by the Aidan O’Brien-trained San Antonio, will be heading to Epsom.

The son of Australia is a 25-1 chance with Betfred for Epsom glory.

O’Brien confirmed: “We’re aiming at the Epsom Derby. I think it is an open race. I think he got in a poor position at Chester off a very slow pace, on ground he wouldn’t like, and he just hung in behind the winner in the last furlong.

“But I think it was a very decent run from him. We think he’s a good horse and he’s going to be a much better horse on better ground over a mile and a half.”

Donnacha O’Brien (centre) seeks Group One glory with Piz Badile
Donnacha O’Brien (centre) seeks Group One glory with Piz Badile (Niall Carson/PA)

Piz Badile, who was runner-up in last season’s Irish Derby before a somewhat disappointing run when seven lengths behind Onesto in the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp, will bid to break his Group One duck at the Curragh on Sunday week.

He made his return from a 10-month absence when a three-length third to Visualisation in the Group Two Mooresbridge at the Curragh two weeks ago.

“The plan is to go to the Tattersalls Gold Cup on Guineas weekend,” O’Brien added. “Again, I thought it was a very adequate comeback from him.

“It was a mess of a race. They went very slow, so the plan is to go to there and there’s a chance he could be going back to a mile and a half after that, but we’ll see.

“He was probably a little bit backward at two and three. He ran very well in the Irish Derby and then he went to France, which was another case of a typical French race that didn’t suit him.

“I thought his comeback was a good run. When things do go right for him, then I think we’ll get a feel for whether he is going to be proper Group One horse, but I just don’t think he has had the chance to show if he is.”

Military Order marches to Epsom with stylish Lingfield win

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Military Order shot to the top of the Betfred Derby market as he went one better than his brother Adayar to claim the Fitzdares Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes.

Adayar finished second in this in 2021 before going on to triumph at Epsom and his high-class sibling took his record to three wins from four starts in the manner of a high-class operator himself.

With waterlogging to Lingfield’s turf track meaning this was run on the all-weather for the first time since Main Sequence’s victory in 2012, William Buick had Military Order travelling nicely behind the pace set by James Tate’s Regal Empire

The pack began to bunch as the eight-strong field approached the home bend and when Regal Empire angled out spinning the turn, Buick seized the opportunity to nimbly slip up the inner and set sail for home with Ed Walker’s Waipiro the only one to match strides with the athletic son of Frankel.

The duo went toe-to-toe up the home straight, but it was the even-money favourite who came out on top by a length and a quarter at the winning post, with a further four and a quarter lengths back to the King’s Circle Of Fire in third.

Although the race has provided Charlie Appleby with a Derby winner in the past, it is the first time he has won the Listed event and Military Order now heads to Epsom as Betfair’s 4-1 joint-favourite alongside Auguste Rodin, while Coral make the colt their outright 7-2 market leader.

“He did everything I asked him. He’s come through that really well and will have learned plenty, not that he needed to be shown,” said Buick.

“Today was a different test to Newbury, but when I asked him to quicken into a gap running downhill he didn’t hesitate. He was totally relaxed and beautifully balanced.”

Military Order looks smart
Military Order looks smart (PA)

Alex Merriam, Appleby’s assistant, said: “It was pretty straightforward. It took him a while to get rolling, but he saw it out strongly.

“All systems are go for Epsom, he’s had a run on grass and now a run down a bit of a hill.

“Last year we were blessed with some good milers but this year we have some nice mile-and-a-quarter and mile-and-a-half types.

“Military Order is a similar size to Adayar, but a sharper model.”

He added: “Castle Way is a good prospect, but I think he will go to Ascot (King Edward VII Stakes).

“Flying Honours is going to York and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in the Dante if we get some decent ground there.”

Walker, meanwhile, will press on with his Derby plan for Waipiro after his gallant effort.

“The winner got a run up the inside and the horse that made the gap pushed us out and onto the wrong lead, making us disorganised, but we still gave him a run for his money,” he said.

“Rob (Hornby) couldn’t pull him up and I think we have to go to Epsom.”

Flying Honours set for Dante after pleasing racecourse workout

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Charlie Appleby’s Betfred Derby contender Flying Honours tuned up for the Dante with a gallop before racing at Newmarket on Friday – but stablemate Imperial Emperor is not being pointed towards Epsom

Flying Honours will take in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai-sponsored York feature on May 18, a race Appleby won two years ago with Hurricane Lane, who went on to win the Irish Derby and St Leger.

The Sea The Stars colt worked with Yibir and Natural World, and Appleby liked what he saw.

“I’m delighted with that piece of work. At the end of the day, he has worked with no mug there in Yibir,” he said.

“We were intending to go to Sandown (Classic Trial) last week with Flying Honours, but that got rained off, and the plan now is that if he comes out of this piece of work well to head to York for the Dante.

“He has got a lovely profile stepping up to this middle-distance category this year. The Dante is the race that if you go and win afterwards you will probably be second-favourite for the Derby. At the end of the day it is one of the best trials.

William Buick with Military Order
William Buick with Military Order (PA)

“This horse will get a mile and a half no problem at all. He is a neat horse and has got enough racing experience under him now to head to a track like Epsom.

“Until you have been around there you can never hand on heart say you handle it, but I believe he has got enough race experience to go there and handle it fine.”

Stablemate Military Order, impressive at Newbury recently, will follow the same route as his brother Adayar by going for the Lingfield Derby Trial on May 13.

“I was very pleased with what I saw from Military Order at Newbury. People will say it was a slow time, but they weren’t going to be setting records in those conditions.

“I just loved his demeanour and the way that he galloped out. He has come out of it very well and is bred to win a Derby.”

Imperial Emperor was impressive on his only outing to date
Imperial Emperor was impressive on his only outing to date (Tim Goode/PA)

Appleby confirmed he intends to send Imperial Emperor to Royal Ascot and possibly the Irish Derby, rather than Epsom.

“I’ve just taken my time with Imperial Emperor. He is very closely related to Ghaiyyath and in his three-year-old career he met with a setback,” he said.

“It is always on my mind that he is a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half Dubawi and you just can’t push them. People will say that I did it with Coroebus, but that was different as he was a miler.

“Wholeheartedly, I would probably say I won’t be getting there with him. I would rather bring him along and we might end up going to Royal Ascot or the Irish Derby with him.

“He is a horse that I have high regard for, but one that we will look after along the way.”

White Birch bidding for Derby Trial double

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White Birch will return to Leopardstown to put his Betfred Derby aspirations on the line in the Derby Trial Stakes on Sunday.

Trained by John Joseph Murphy, the colt opened his account at the second attempt at Dundalk in November and thrived for the step up in trip on his three-year-old return to cause a 22-1 upset in the Dublin track’s Ballysax Stakes.

Now the son of Ulysses will head to the race previously known as the Derrinstown Derby Trial as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of Battle Of Marengo (2013), Broome (2019) and Bolshoi Ballet (2021) who all completed the double in the last 10 years.

A strong showing could signal a trip to Epsom for on June 3 where White Birch would have the opportunity to become the first horse since Harzand in 2016 to win both the Ballysax and the premier Classic.

“He came out of the race at Leopardstown really well and we couldn’t be happier with how things are going. His work has been great and he is in super form,” said George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father.

“The plan is to go back to Leopardstown for what was the Derrinstown – it’s just the Derby Trial now – and after that we can make a decision over whether we go to the Derby or not.

“I have no doubt the trial will be a difficult race, but he’s in great form and we’re looking forward to it.”

A total of 14 colts have been entered for the Derby Trial with Aidan O’Brien responsible for Adelaide River, Continuous, Gooloogong, Londoner, Mohawk Chief and Tower Of London.

Donnacha O’Brien’s Proud And Regal and Jessica Harrington’s Sprewell are others of note.