'Unique' Auguste Rodin (9-2) bounced back from his first Classic disappointment to land a superb victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday afternoon.
Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old, under Ryan Moore, had disappointed badly when last of 14 behind Chaldean in last month's QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. But stepped up to middle distances for the first time, the son of Deep Impact lived up to his juvenile star billing to grab the Classic. Having been touted as a Triple Crown contender following his impressive victory as a two-year-old in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster last October, he was a massive disappointment at Headquarters. But like stable-mate Little Big Bear, who also bombed out over the mile at Newmarket before impressing back sprinting with victory in the Group Two Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park last weekend, Auguste Rodin got his career back on track. Now all the top middle distance races are in his sights with the likes of Irish Derby on July 1 and next month's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot possible next targets.
The Coolmore-owned colt was always travelling well under Moore in the middle of the field as stable-mates San Antonio – a winner of the Dee Stakes at Chester's May Festival – and Adelaide River made the running. Frankie Dettori, in his final Derby ride, was third on Arrest and Sir Michael Stoute's Passenger not far off the pace. The first to make a bid for victory was Kevin Stott aboard the 66-1 outsider King Of Steel as they turned for home around Tattenham Corner just after security had collared an animal rights protestor who had got on further up the track. Roger Varian's colt, who had only run twice previously winning a Nottingham maiden as a juvenile, made a bold bid for a shock success as he moved clear of the field. But Moore brought Auguste Rodin with a perfectly-timed run – just as he had when winning the opener on Derby day with Regal Reality. He eventually gathered the leader in and scored by half-a-length with Dante Stakes runner-up White Birch (12-1) a further four-and-a-half-lengths back in third with Jessica Harrington's Sprewell (14-1) with a length-and-three-quarters further adrift in fourth.
It was some feat from the Ballydoyle maestro O'Brien to get the horse back to land racing's blue riband just four weeks on from his 2,000 Guineas no-show. The Irish trainer was winning a record-extending ninth Derby victory 22 years on from his first with the great Galileo, who sired Auguste Rodin's dam Rhododendron. O'Brien said: "All the people in Coolmore have made this happen – this is a total homebred horse. It's all credit to them to make this happen every day. He came with a massive reputation as a beautiful horse but he kept stepping up to all the markers all the way, which is very unusual. He's totally unique – he's out of one of the greatest Galileo mares (Rhododendron) by the greatest stallion ever in Japan. I can't tell you, he's totally unique. Ryan said it probably didn't suit him, he would have preferred a lot stronger pace but he said he had to quicken twice, so obviously he's so exciting for us. I feel so grateful and so delighted for all the lads, everyone. It's a great pleasure for us."
On his defeat at Newmarket O'Brien added: "It was one of those days. Kind of from a few days before, it all started to go wrong. As we all know, it's a funny game, it has to go round and everyone has to get their day. Sometimes you control the things you can control, but the variables that you can't control all start falling against you and you can't stop that. From a couple of days before, we had the flight booked on the morning and then it all started going wrong then. Every step of the way, everything just fell against him.
"The lads had the plan for him that he would do the three races (Triple Crown) and we knew the first one would be the toughest one because to do that everything had to fall right for him and everything went totally wrong. He came out of the race great, that was the massive thing. Every day, riding him work, he was just getting better and more and more confident.
"Ryan was so cool, he knew the pressure was on and gave him a peach of a ride. In February, Ryan rode him in work and said he was very special, as a two-year-old, so you can imagine what he was like then. His movement was so spectacular and sometimes horses lose that but he never changed the whole way. He's the most unbelievable economical way of going, his action, temperament and breathing but his movement is just incredible."
On future plans O'Brien said: "I'm not sure, but obviously these type of horses come here and if they're good enough we often have a look at the Irish Derby, but the lads make all those decisions. We'll see how he is, tell the lads and they'll talk about it, talk to Ryan and then we'll make a decision. I don't think he had too tough a race as it wasn't a strong early pace. All those options are open to him."
Moore, winning his third Derby after Workforce (2010) and O'Brien's Ruler Of The World (2013), said: "We had a smooth run. We landed in a smooth spot, I had William (Buick, on Military Order) and Frankie (Dettori, on Arrest) ahead of me and was always confident I had them covered. We didn't go that quick, it turned in to a bit of a dash, but I was getting a nice smooth run. He was a bit babyish, I always thought I had the race won, but I just had to get into him in the last furlong there and he responded very gamely. He's done that quite cosily, I think. Straight away he got into a very good rhythm. He felt in a very good place going to the start. He was very smooth and I always felt in control of the race. He got there going easy. He was still a bit immature when he got to the front but when I asked him inside the last furlong I was very happy with him. People were saying he won on bad ground last year and the ground in the Guineas wasn’t in his favour. He has got a beautiful action and he is a lovely moving horse. I always thought he wanted nice ground. Aidan always had a lot of belief in the horse.
“Even last week we were looking at Preakness that Sunday Silence won who was his grand sire. The markings are exactly the same and we think he has got huge potential. I thought I had the race won as soon as I crossed the road really. I was bit worried hitting the front as early as I was going to. The second horse kicked and my horse just shut down a little bit when I asked him and he had to go win his race but he found plenty. He got the trip very well and he was very comfortable throughout the race. It probably wasn’t the strongest run Derby and it didn’t ride like it. I felt like he was doing it easy. I’d say he would be adaptable be he obviously gets the trip fine. He always felt like he was going beautiful and I think this quicker ground is a big help to him. Workforce won half the track, Ruler Of The World it was a tight old ding-dong. It was a bit similar to Workforce in the way he went through the race as he was always comfortable.”
Moore hailed O'Brien on returning Auguste Rodin back to his best after his previous Classis blow-out. He said: "He's the only man that could do it. I've seen him get horses back. There's been horses that have run bad in the Guineas and have come back. Roderic O'Connor springs to mind and a few others, even Qualify ran bad in a Guineas and came and won an Oaks. Aidan can just do things. This horse has a great pedigree, he's always shown he's a good horse. As Aidan says, everyone does such a good job at home and everything went smooth today."
Varian, trainer of runner-up King Of Steel, said: “I knew he was good. I’m gutted, but that’s horse racing. Hopefully, he’ll come out of the race okay and he’s a very good horse. Credit to the winner though, who is a very good horse. I never thought I had it, as I’d been in the same position in 2014 with Kingston Hill, who was clear of the field but you could just see Australia coming to us. Again, I could just see Auguste Rodin coming to us. I hoped when he got to us we would find a bit more, but he ran huge – he’s a very good horse.
“He was very well behaved at York until he got to the start, but he was just a bit fresh on the day. I promise you could have led him across the Knavesmire in a head collar and rope. He wasn’t unruly, he was just fresh at the start and playful more than anything. You could only call it an unconventional route to the Derby, as we went to York without running and then we went to Leicester only on Monday for a stalls test. So he had two days out from the yard, and sometimes not having a hard race two and a half weeks out, as long as they get it out of their system and get a day away, can benefit them – look at Chaldean.
“We’ve always thought for the last 10 or 12 weeks that he’s been very good, but he just wasn’t right for those early trials and so the Dante was our last chance, but he stood up in the gates and didn’t take part. Who knows, that might have made the difference. It’s ifs and buts, but he’s a very good horse – he proved that today – and I hope he comes out of it okay and we can enjoy him going forward. I don’t think we could have done much more, but it’s a long way to be in front. I thought Kevin gave him a fine ride, and if he hadn’t gone when he did they’d have rolled in on top of him and he might not have got a run.”
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest was sent off the 4-1 favourite to give popular Italian jockey Dettori a third and final Derby victory 24 hours from his Group One double at Epsom with Oaks heroine Soul Sister and Coronation Cup scorer Emily Upjohn. But having been among the early leaders he tired to finish 10th of the 14 runners.
COOLMORE’S RECORD 10 DERBY WINNERS: Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Pour Moi (2011), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings Of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020) and Auguste Rodin (2023).
AIDAN O’BRIEN RECORD 9 DERBY WINNERS: Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings Of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020) and Auguste Rodin (2023).
RYAN MOORE’S THREE DERBY WINNERS: Workforce (2010), Ruler Of The World (2013) and Auguste Rodin (2023).
