Kildare: Trainer Aidan O’Brien landed his 12th Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Irish Derby win on Saturday at the Curragh in County Kildare, as 6/1 shot Capri stormed to victory in a sensational finish to the 152nd running of Ireland’s most lucrative race.
A hotly contested race saw the Seamie Heffernan-ridden three-year-old finish just a neck ahead of John Gosden-trained Cracksman in second, while Capri’s stablemate, Wings of Eagles finished third after going out as 2/1 favourite.
The DDF Irish Derby was once again worth a mouth-watering €1.5 million (Dh6.3 million), and it was O’Brien who was once again the man to beat as he secured his first win in the race since 2014.
It was O’Brien’s third winner on the day as Capri followed up earlier wins for Asking in the DDF Tennis Championship Handicap, while US Navy Flag won the opening DDF Find a Surprise EBF Maiden.
O’Brien said of Capri’s win: “I think we’re just so lucky to have this track in Ireland and at this time of the year the three-year-olds get sorted in Epsom to a point and when you want to get the real proper mile and a half horse there’s no track in the world that can do that like the Curragh.
“There’s real pace on it, there’s nowhere to hide. Seamus rode Capri in Epsom and he was very happy with him and he was looking forward to coming here with him. It’s the ultimate test over a mile and a half for a three-year-old colt. Seamus gave him a lovely ride. He had a lovely position throughout and he timed his run perfect and he got the mile and a half really well.”
It capped a brilliant day of racing at the Curragh as DDF celebrated their tenth year as the title sponsors of the Irish Derby, and the world’s largest airport retailer also sponsored six of the eight races on Saturday’s card.
The winning connections; owner John Magnier, jockey, Seamie Heffernan and trainer Aidan O’Brien, were presented with specially commissioned trophies by Colm McLoughlin, DDF executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer (CE0), Ramesh Cidambi chief operating officer, and Sinead El Sibai, senior vice president of marketing. They were joined on the podium by the UAE’s ambassador to Ireland Mohammad Saeed Al Shamsi, Ireland’s ambassador to the UAE Paul Kavanagh and CEO of the Curragh Derek McGrath.
McLoughlin said: “I’m very happy that Dubai Duty Free is still involved at the Curragh. I think the temporary facilities are fantastic, the people are fantastic, the racing was fantastic and the weather, was almost fantastic. It was a great race that was tight right up until they went through the winning post and it just beat the rain.
“We are happy to continue our association with this magnificent racecourse and today once again proved why it is certainly up there with the very best tracks in the world. The standard of horses that were brought to this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby festival is a testament to how highly regarded the weekend is.”
