Betfred Derby: Aidan O'Brien bags ninth Epsom Classic victory with Auguste Rodin under Ryan Moore
Auguste Rodin disappointed when favourite for the 2000 Guineas but made up for it with Epsom glory in the Derby; King Of Steel ran a huge race in second for Amo Racing, ridden by Kevin Stott; the race passed without any trouble despite Animal Rights protestors threatening to halt the race
Saturday 3 June 2023 14:24, UK
Auguste Rodin provided Aidan O'Brien with a ninth victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom under star jockey Ryan Moore.
In what was a terrific training performance, Auguste Rodin bounced back from a disappointing run in last month's 2000 Guineas when a red-hot favourite for the Newmarket Classic.
And whilst 66/1 outsider King Of Steel hit the front under Kevin Stott with two furlongs to run, Moore and Auguste Rodin slowed made up the ground and eventually went away to win by half a length at the line.
Irish challengers also filled the next two positions home, with White Birch in third for Colin Keane and trainer John Joseph Murphy, and Sprewell staying on nicely for fourth under Shane Foley.
The win also provided jockey Moore with a third success in the race after Workforce in 2010 and Ruler of the World in 2015.
The winning trainer told ITV Racing: "He came with a massive reputation but he's been stepping up all the time. He's totally unique.
"He's so exciting for us and I'm grateful for all the team.
"Newmarket was one of those days when it all went wrong. The lads always had the plan to do the Triple Crown but he came out of the Guineas well and we've been more and more confident with every day."
Moore told ITV Racing: "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."
On the training performance of O'Brien to get Auguste Rodin back to his best, 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."
Two protesters arrested pre-race
Two protesters have been arrested as they attempted to disrupt the Epsom Derby. One man managed to jump the fence before being tackled and handcuffed by police on the racecourse while the crowd jeered and booed.
Minutes later, a woman attempted to climb the fence but was pulled to the floor by police. Despite pledges by activist group Animal Rising to "cancel or severely delay" the Derby, the race continued as planned shortly after the protesters were carried away.
Observers described the situation as "ludicrous" and "absolute insanity" while others thanked police for putting a stop to the protests.
