Auguste Rodin cements his name in the history books with famous Derby double
The son of Deep Impact’s stallion appeal boosted further with Irish Derby success despite what can be fairly evaluated as a performance below his best, writes Daniel Harrold
There will surely never be another Galileo.
The son of Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) currently stands above all in the stallion ranks with an astounding 366 stakes winners, of which 245 of those are Group-race scorers and a further 97 of those are winners at the very top level that flat racing can offer.
Unlikely, so it may seem, that Galileo’s record of Group/Grade 1 winners will be toppled, likely it does seem that Coolmore’s former flagship sire will still hit that 100-mark for top-flight winners, despite his death in 2021 at the age of 23.
Even as a broodmare sire Galileo’s figures continue to astound, with 287 individual stakes winners yielding 157 Group-race winners, including 49 of those at the highest level in countries ranging from the UK, to Australia, to Chile. How could Coolmore possibly even aim to replace such a worldwide influence?
Step forward Auguste Rodin.
Credited by Aidan O’Brien as possibly ‘the most important horse ever for us’ following his dramatic Group 1 Epsom Derby victory on June 3.
By seven-time Japanese top-flight winner turned super sire Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) and out of Galileo’s three-time Group 1-winning daughter Rhododendron, Auguste Rodin, who’s namesake is François Auguste René Rodin, a French sculptor that is generally considered the founder of modern sculpture, added his name to the history books at the weekend when completing a famous Epsom-Irish Derby double.
Before Auguste Rodin, the last horse to complete the double was Harzand in 2016 and, with just a further 17 horses having managed to land the famous pair of Classics since Orby became the first in 1907, the record books were not exactly in favour of Rodin landing the double. Despite that, the odds certainly were, with the colt being sent off a 4-11 shot with bookmakers.
O’Brien may be the most successful trainer in the history of the Irish Derby, with Auguste Rodin’s victory taking his tally to an incredible 15, but the recent record of the O’Brien-trained favourites in the Irish Derby is certainly unforgiving on punters.
With Galileo, who was also O’Brien’s maiden winner of the Epsom Classic, registering his first Derby double in 2001, O’Brien then followed that up a year later with High Chaparral who achieved the same feat. Camelot (2012) and Australia (2014) are the other two dual-Derby winners trained by the master of Ballydoyle.
While that quartet were successful, a trio of the maestro’s horses failed in their efforts to become double-Derby heroes, with Ruler Of The World, who was sent off at 4/5 in 2013 following his Epsom win, Wings Of Eagles, who was 2/1 in 2017, and Anthony Van Dyck, who was 5/4 in 2019, all failing to score at the Curragh.
Now add in the fact that Saxon Warrior, evens favourite in 2018, High Definition, 9/4 in 2021, and Tuesday, who was 11/8 to score in last year’s renewal, took the tally of O’Brien’s beaten favourites in the Irish Derby to six in the previous decade, and Auguste Rodin’s task was not as straightforward as it may have been deemed at first sight.
Ridden, as he was when bouncing back from a disappointing English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) display with a half-length victory over subsequent Royal Ascot Group 2 winner King Of Steel in the Epsom Classic, by Ryan Moore, Auguste Rodin travelled ominously well throughout behind his pacemaking stablemates Adelaide River and San Antonio.
Tragedy struck approaching the home bend as San Antonio unfortunately suffered a fatal injury, unshipping rider Wayne Lordan in the process, leaving just Adelaide River in front of the destiny-chasing odds-on favourite.
Looming up with under three furlongs left to travel in what can be described as a steadily run race at best, Auguste Rodin was sent on by Moore and, after taking a short while to hit the front, seemed to only do just enough to hold his 33-1 stablemate by a margin of one and a half lengths at the line.
The pair pulled two and a quarter lengths clear of the third-placed Covent Garden, with a further five and a half lengths back to Peking Opera in fourth, resulting in O’Brien saddling up the first four home.
“We went quite slow and, because of what happened to Wayne, it wasn’t smooth,” Moore, who was winning his maiden Irish Derby at the 11th attempt, said. “He was just in front of me. I had to switch back in and back out and I just don’t think it was quite right.
“I’ve had to ask him to go there and he has shut down a bit. It was an unusual race, stop-start. Today I don’t think the race showed him to best effect.”
Moore’s post-race comments would be pretty much spot on, with Auguste Rodin receiving a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 120 for winning Saturday’s event, four pounds lower than his 124 for landing the English equivalent.
As for O’Brien, who, fresh from becoming the winningest trainer in Royal Ascot history, smashed the record books once again in saddling up his 100th European Classic winner, echoed the thoughts of Moore.
“It didn’t work out properly for Auguste Rodin but we are happy with him,” O’Brien said. “He shows all the class that he has but he would be much better in a better race.”
As for what could be next for Auguste Rodin, who is now almost certainly headed for the breeding shed at the end of the season, but the Group 1 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 29 seems the obvious next option, with O’Brien keeping his cards close to his chest.
“Usually what happens is the horse goes back to work after seven or ten days, the lads then talk to Ryan and we say what way we think the horse is, and then they make the decision.”
The lads, of course, being Coolmore owners John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, who share the ownership of Auguste Rodin with George Von Opel’s Westerberg outfit.
“The work he puts in, if you saw him every day, and I mean every day, he loves what he does,” Tabor said of O’Brien. “He enjoys it, and you have to enjoy your work, because life is too short.”
“We didn’t doubt him [O’Brien, after Auguste Rodin’s English 2,000 Guineas blowout] because we have confidence in his ability. You have to remember the whole family and their work ethic is just tremendous. It doesn’t happen just by luck.”
“I don’t think you saw the real Auguste Rodin there. It means we’ll get a good price next time!”
Bullish from Tabor, but, in fairness, it must be difficult not to be given Auguste Rodin’s almost impeccable track record, having been beaten just twice from seven starts.
The next question, however, is going to be whether that record can be transferred over to the breeding shed, in which there are big shoes to fill.
Sunday Irish Derby set to remain for foreseeable
The Sunday slot for the Irish Derby is set to stay according to the Curragh’s chief executive Brian Kavanagh, despite an attendance of 10,987, down 345 from last year when the race was run on a Saturday.
Last run on a Sunday in 2011, the official attendance for Ireland’s flagship flat race was 25,225 in 2015, meaning there has been a 56 per cent fall in just eight years.
However, Kavanagh was keen to focus on the overall three-day crowd figure of 23,653, which was up 25 per cent on last year.
“I would think so. We will review it, but the feedback we have from customers has been good. We will sit down with the board and the sponsors, but I would think it is here to stay, yes,” Kavanagh said when asked about the Derby remaining on a Sunday.
“There were two factors which drove the decision – the first was to build up to our bigger day, a bit like Fairyhouse have now done with the Grand National. The Sunday at the Irish Derby festival had a bit of the after the Lord Mayor’s show sort of feel about it last year. Second, it was part of the Tote World Pool this year.”
As for the drop in attendance percentages, Kavanagh said: “It was practically the same crowd, you’re talking about a very small difference. Saturday is generally a stronger day in terms of attendance anyway and we knew that, but we’ve built up the Sunday and you need to look at all three days where there is a 25 per cent uplift in attendances. If you had told me that at the start of the year I’d have taken that.
“I think we had over 3,000 more people on Saturday for the Pretty Polly [Stakes] card than we had for that card on the Sunday last year, so that was very good.
“There was a good atmosphere around the place, we’ve had good feedback and plenty of people seem to have enjoyed themselves. Obviously the big race was marred with the fatality to San Antonio, but overall we were happy with how the weekend went.”
Name To Note – Ylang Ylang
Aidan O’Brien had another name to keep in your books over Irish Derby weekend as Frankel filly Ylang Ylang made an impressive winning debut over seven furlongs. Sent off as the well-fancied 8-13 favourite under Ryan Moore, Ylang Ylang made all in the 12-runner contest and, having been shaken up with two furlongs to go, proved far too good for her rivals as she bounded away to a promising two and three-quarter lengths victory over Dollerina. “She had never been away, so was very babyish, and I would say she is going to come on leaps and bounds,” O’Brien said. “It was nice to see her doing that. Ryan said she was only playing around in front and he just had to give her a backhander to get down and stretch.” O’Brien mentioned that the Group 2 Debutante Stakes back at the Curragh over seven furlongs next month could be Ylang Ylang’s next target. “I suppose we will come back here for the Debutante Stakes in August,” he said. “The timing of that race would be perfect, and then probably to the Moyglare. She has been working well with good colts, which is normally a good sign, and she won in a good time too.” A 1.5 million guineas purchase by Coolmore and White Birch Farm as a foal at Book 1 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Ylang Ylang is the first foal out of the Listed-placed winning Shamardal mare Shambolic, herself a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Laughing and Hong Kong Group 1 scorer Viva Pataca. Ylang Ylang is now a best-priced 12-1 for next year’s English 1,000 Guineas.