Adayar causes an upset as Godolphin colt bags Epsom Derby
Fate and fortune fell firmly in the favour of Adam Kirby yesterday as he partnered his first ever winner in the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) when Godolphin’s Adayar (Frankel) made light work of dismissing his better fancied rivals.
Kirby had been set to ride leading hope John Leeper (Frankel) until the unexpected decision from Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore camp to saddle just one runner in the race freed Frankie Dettori up for that mount.
Seemingly set to watch on from the sidelines, Kirby was in turn booked to replace Britain’s champion jockey Oisin Murphy on the Charlie Appleby-trained colt, and he made the most of his big-race chance as Adayar (3 c ex Anna Salai by Dubawi) won by four and a half lengths.
Following defeats in trials at Sandown and Lingfield, latterly when sent off the warm favourite, Adayar was the supposed third string for Appleby behind Hurricane Lane (Frankel) and One Ruler (Dubawi), however a late market move, which saw his odds shorten dramatically into 16-1, proved to be a precursor of what was to come.
Dropped in behind long-time leader Gear Up (Teofilo), Kirby, who was having just his second ride in the Derby, kept his mount glued to the far rail as many of his weighing room counterparts chose to fan out wide racing out of Tattenham Corner and into the Epsom straight.
That brave decision reaped bountiful reward as the colt cruised into the lead two furlongs from home and once in the clear never looked like getting caught. The maiden Mojo Star (Sea The Stars) kept on for a never-nearer second, with Hurricane Lane, who raced upsides his stablemate for a long way, unable to quicken late on before finishing another three and a quarter lengths away in third.
Reflecting on his rollercoaster 48 hours, Kirby said: “It’s ups and downs, it’s racing, it’s swings and roundabouts, but when it comes to Charlie Appleby, he’s a top man and I can’t thank him enough. A true gentleman and a great trainer and thanks very much for putting me on this lad.”
Appleby, who won the race with Masar (New Approach) in 2018, was equally keen to share the glory, although he did give special mention to the winning rider’s bold move.
“From the team’s point of view it’s fantastic,” Appleby said. “Everyone works so hard at this game as we know, but I’m delighted for Adam. It was a fantastic ride, it’s something that every jockey wants to achieve, and he was hungry for it. I’m delighted he’s got the result.”
A winner of just a Nottingham maiden on his second start at two prior to yesterday’s heroics, Adayar became the 70th individual stakes winner for Frankel (Galileo), who was responsible for four of the 11 runners in the field. He also became the 14th individual Group 1 winner for the Juddmonte sire, and his third European Classic winner following the victories of Anapurna in the 2019 Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) and Logician in the same year’s St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6 ½f).
A Godolphin homebred, Adayar is the third foal out of Anna Salai (Dubawi), herself a Group 3 winner and second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) of 2010. She is a sister to Group 3-placed Seniority and a half-sister to stakes winners Advice (Seeking The Gold) and Iguazu Falls (Pivotal), as well as to the unraced Angel Falls (Kingmambo), who is the dam of Group 1 winner and Widden Stud sire National Defense (Invincible Spirit).
Whether a tilt at the Leger, for which the northern hemisphere bookmakers rate Adayar a 3-1 chance, is now on the agenda remains to be seen.
“We’ll let the dust settle but as a team that’s (the Leger) what we thought would be his target,” Appleby said post-race.
“He’s a horse, as you saw, a great big scopey horse, son of Frankel, and time is only going to benefit him still. He’s a lovely horse to have around.”
Bolshoi Ballet (Galileo), sent off the 11-8 favourite to provide O’Brien with a record ninth win in the race, was prominent until three furlongs out, before weakening late on to finish seventh, beaten a total of 17 lengths.