It’s like old times in some ways for Sunday’s 160th Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby as Aidan O’Brien’s Lambourn bids to become the 20th colt to complete the Epsom-Curragh “Blue Riband” double.
Lambourn confounded expectations that he was O’Brien’s third string at the Epsom Derby three weeks ago and he made almost all the running and won in style under Wayne Lordan.
Ryan Moore, who landed the Chester Vase in May on Lambourn, is back on board this weekend and the English rider has a shot at history by becoming the first jockey to win the Irish Derby three years in a row.
Where the Curragh was once an all-but-automatic option for an Epsom Derby winner, Lambourn is just the fifth in the last decade to try to follow up, albeit 2020 was a Covid outlier.
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With O’Brien having half the 10-strong field as he pursues a record-extending 17th victory in Ireland’s premier classic, and the first three from Epsom lining up, it appears like a rather vintage Irish Derby renewal. In other ways, it’s ultra-contemporary.
Once again, the Derby is run on a Sunday and is the centrepiece of a marathon nine-race programme to facilitate inclusion in lucrative World Pool betting.
The biggest co-mingling market in the world is run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and, depending on turnover, Sunday’s action could be worth up to €700,000 to the Curragh, the Irish Tote and Horse Racing Ireland.
Generating maximum turnover requires lots of runners and races not dominated by heavy favourites. Once again, Ballydoyle is helping the Derby reach double-figures. Sunday’s card also contains six competitive handicaps.
That has come under fire for a consequent lack of quality action and the makings of an unappealing Derby undercard. In contrast, Saturday’s Curragh programme has the Group One Pretty Polly Stakes backed up by a Group Two and a pair of Group Three contests.
Similar criticism emerged in Britain after an Epsom Derby card that featured in the World Pool but ultimately attracted a very disappointing attendance on the ground.
The logic of such an argument will make it interesting to examine Saturday’s attendance. Last year’s Irish Derby attendance was 11,418, which was hardly outstanding, but was much bigger than the crowd that watched a Pretty Polly won by no less than Bluestocking.
Ultimately, there is abundant evidence of how the quality of flat-race action has little impact on crowd figures in Ireland. The contrast between how many go to Irish Champions Weekend and the Listowel festival is an annual September exercise.
It’s hard not to suspect then that switching a couple of more Group races to Sunday would have had only a negligible impact this weekend. The €1.25 million classic inevitably dwarfs everything else and is the overwhelming reason to attend.
Admittedly, seeing it through from a 1.15pm start to almost 6pm will be a test of stamina for those there. But as the Curragh always struggles for footfall, the prospect of a windfall from playing ball with Hong Kong has an inevitable financial logic to authorities here.
Ireland’s most valuable race is off at 4.10pm and presents a first-rate chance for Lambourn to join some of the sport’s most famous names as a double-Derby winner. These include a handful of O’Brien-trained horses, among them Lambourn’s own sire Australia in 2014.
Hardly ranked among Ballydoyle’s leading lights at the start of the season, the likable colt showed a superb attitude to dominate at Epsom. If the argument is that he got an unchallenged lead there, another one is that the Curragh’s stiffer stamina test should suit him even more.
Up to 5mm of rainfall is expected over the weekend and that’s enough for the connections of Epsom runner-up Lazy Griff to try their luck again. He was also second to Lambourn in the Vase.
It is Tennessee Stud, third at Epsom, that bookmakers seem to reckon is Lambourn’s big threat. But he does have five lengths to make up while Pride Of Arras, one of two Ralph Beckett runners, has a lot more than that.
Green Impact could prove the one to shake up Lambourn and victory for him would mean Jessica Harrington is the first woman to train an Irish Derby winner.
The Celebration Stakes (2.55pm) is one of two Listed races on Sunday’s card. Currawood could be the solution over the English raider, Skukuza, who impressed in a handicap here last time but may prefer more testing conditions. The Curragh specialist Big Gossey may secure a popular success in the earlier Dash (2.25pm).
