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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Lambourn reigns supreme in Epsom Derby as Jantar Mantar prevails in Japan
Lambourn led them a merry dance in the Group One Epsom Derby (2,400m) to give Aidan O'Brien a record-extending 12th win in the English Classic on Saturday. Shunned by Coolmore's stable jockey Ryan Moore, it was Wayne Lordan who got his moment in the sun, pushing the Australia galloper into the lead soon after the start. The pair turned into the straight with a three-length lead and never looked likely to surrender it, thundering down the Epsom straight to win by a very comfortable three and a quarter lengths. 𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐘! — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 7, 2025 The $2.1 favourite, Delacroix, was held up out the back by Moore and ultimately could never land a blow in ninth, with the top three completed by $55 and $43 roughies Lazy Griff and Tennessee Stud. Delacroix was the only single-digit chance to finish in the top 10, with The Lion In Winter (14th) and Pride Of Arras (17th) also running disappointingly. Elsewhere on Saturday, the Group One Gold Challenge (1,600m) at Greyville in South Africa went the way of $2.6 favourite Dave The King for the second consecutive year. The Mike de Kock-trained Dave The King and jockey Callan Murray were always in the box seat throughout the run but once striking the front in the straight, they were made to work hard by rallying leader Oriental Charm and fast-finishing pair Gladatorian and Cosmic Speed. Dave The King scrambled in by a head, with less than a length separating the first four home. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. In Japan on Sunday, the Group One Yasuda Kinen (1,600m) was won impressively by Jantar Mantar for superstar jockey Yuga Kawada and trainer Tomokazu Takano. JANTAR MANTAR ジャンタルマンタル IS BACK 💥 The four-year-old takes out the G1 Yasuda Kinen in his first start since December 🤯 with Yuga Kawada making it look all too easy in Tokyo 🇯🇵 #安田記念は #ジャンタルマンタル #が優勝 — World Horse Racing (@WHR) June 8, 2025 The $4.4 second favourite settled third outside the leading pair down the back straight and travelled ominously well as the field turned for home. Once Kawada pushed the button the response was immediate, with the pair quickening away by one and a half lengths from Gaia Force. The $3.8 favourite Soul Rush, last seen downing Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) at Meydan, hung in down the straight and was ultimately never quite getting there.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTHK
O'Brien wins record-extending 11th Derby with Lambourn
O'Brien wins record-extending 11th Derby with Lambourn Jockey Wayne Lordan rides Lambourn to victory at the Epsom Derby. Photo: AFP Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien won a record-extending 11th Epsom Derby as Lambourn put up an astonishing performance to lead from start to finish on Saturday. For O'Brien it completed an extraordinary two days as Minnie Hauk won the Oaks on Friday and his Jan Brueghel won the other Group One race the Coronation Cup. It is not the first time the 55-year-old has achieved the Oaks/Derby double, last doing it in 2020 with Love (Oaks) and Serpentine. Jockey Wayne Lordan was never challenged in winning his first Derby on his ninth ride in the race considered to be the 'blue riband' of flat racing. None of the other fancied horses landed a blow and it was two outsiders that were closest at the finish – Lazy Griff (50/1) was second with 28/1 chance Tennessee Stud, trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, third. "I knew I'd gone a good gallop, his ears were pricked and I knew he had plenty left," said Lordan. "He's a horse that we've always felt stays well so I just thought anybody that gets to me will have to stay well and it'd be tough for them." Lordan's career was in doubt a couple of years ago after a dreadful fall in the Irish Derby in which he suffered a fractured leg and elbow. Saturday, though, represented his biggest ever victory. "It's one of the greatest races," said the 43-year-old. "For any jockey that wants to start out, all they ever want to do is win the Derby and I work for Aidan, Ballydoyle, Coolmore so I'm in a lucky position that I get to ask for a horse like this." (AFP)
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Lambourn dominates Epsom Derby to give Aidan O'Brien record-extending 11th Classic success
The clue was right in front of us. Lambourn, in Berkshire, is known as 'The valley of the Racehorse', so for Sue Magnier to decide 18 months ago that a handsome bay colt should carry the same name hinted it might have special qualities. How perceptive Mrs Magnier, wife of the Coolmore supremo John, proved to be. Lambourn, the horse, is special and there can be no denying it. Rare are the occasions when a runner leads from pillar to post in the Epsom Derby but here was one of those moments that invited wide-eyed amazement. Yes, it was another victory for Aidan O'Brien, a record-extending 11th success, all achieved in a 24-year period, but it was difficult to watch this and not find joy in seeing his jockey Wayne Lordan power relentlessly clear, leaving 17 forlorn rivals legless behind him. It was poetic and brutal in equal measure. Epsom asks question of a racehorse, mentally and physically, like nowhere else and some buckle. In the parade ring, you wondered whether Lambourn — who strutted around looking ready for the breeding sheds, not the racetrack — might boil over. Not a bit of it. Lordan's horsemanship in this most high-pressure environment was mesmerising, getting Lambourn back on an even keel the way a father will jolt an unruly child back into line. Once he was sent on his way, there was never a moment's concern. 'Wayne said to me coming out of the parade ring, 'This horse is on fire' and that was before the race,' said O'Brien, whose joy felt as fresh as when he welcomed back his first winner Galileo — Lambourn's grandfather — back in 2001. 'He's given him an unbelievable ride and he's a special fella.' Lordan is a crucial member of O'Brien's squad, who gets second pick on the horses in big races that stable jockey Ryan Moore overlooks. It would be wrong to call him a 'Super Sub'; if he was a Premier League footballer, he would be the back-up striker who comes in but does not diminish a team's quality. He always hoped he would be on board Lambourn, a well-backed 13-2 chance, and he grabbed his chance with both hands, turning the screw after he floated around Tattenham Corner and waving goodbye to those in behind. This handsomely compensated for Friday's near miss on Whirl, who was beaten by Minnie Hauk in Friday's Oaks. Lazy Griff, trained by Charlie Johnston, looked briefly as if he might give his syndicate of owners, Middleham Park Racing, the ultimate thrill but his pilot Christophe Soumillon was forced to concede the task of bridging the gap was impossible in the last two furlongs. 'I was surprised by my horse's odds (50-1) because I thought he would run well,' said the Belgian. 'I had a dream run and two furlongs out I thought I would go for it. But when I got to the winner, he just went away.' Lambourn had beaten Lazy Griff by one-and-a-half lengths last month, when the pair warmed up for Epsom in the Chester Vase, but here the gap extended to almost four lengths. Tennessee Stud was third but O'Brien's other fancied runners, Delacroix and The Lion In Winter, were never sighted. Many feel O'Brien's stranglehold on Epsom is a bad thing, that no stable should ever have a near monopoly on the Derby. He had scooped the Oaks and Coronation Cup on Friday with Minnie Hauk and Jan Brueghel, too, meaning he has won these Group One events a combined 32 times. This is not superiority, it is total domination but it is not going to stop. Ballydoyle, an oasis of perfection in Tipperary, was established by Vincent O'Brien (no relation) to create the ultimate racehorse in 1951 and the current resident, who moved in back in 1995, will not stop in his quest for perfection. 'Everything in Ballydoyle is about Epsom,' O'Brien explained. 'This is how the thoroughbred breed is assessed every year, the fillies and colts. Everything in Ballydoyle is left-handed. Every piece of work the horses do is left-handed. When they canter home — even the sprinters — they go left-handed. 'The whole breed is assessed by the Derby and the Oaks. They are difficult races — you go left, you go right. It's up and it's down and it's the ultimate test. The track has to be like that, to test them. Dr O'Brien set up Ballydoyle and we are just privileged to be there.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lambourn gives Aidan O'Brien a record-extending 11th victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom
Trainer Aidan O'Brien's domination of the Betfred Derby continued as Lambourn (15-2) led almost from start to finish to provide the Ballydoyle maestro with a record-extending 11th victory in the Epsom Classic on Saturday afternoon. Advertisement Arguably the Irish trainer's third choice after 2-1 favourite Delacroix, the pick of stable jockey Ryan Moore, and former ante-post market leader The Lion In Winter, Lambourn proved he wasn't just making up the numbers with a superb front-running display under Wayne Lordan, who was winning the Derby for a first time. For O'Brien it was a second clean sweep of the three Group Ones at the Derby Festival in the same year. In 2012 Camelot won the Derby after 20-1 shot Was had won the Oaks and St Nicholas Abbey had claimed the second of his three Coronation Cup victories. After Jan Brueghel had won the Coronation Cup and Minnie Hauk claimed the Oaks on Friday – both under Moore – Lambourn brought up the big-race treble. READ MORE: Spiritual wins the opener on Betfred Derby day at Epsom READ MORE: Horse Power: The Lion In Winter to roar back with victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom Advertisement Lambourn, who had been second to stable-mate Delacroix in the 1m2f Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown on his seasonal return at the end of March, reversed the form in empathic fashion stepped up again in trip to 1m4f. The son of O'Brien's 2014 Derby hero Australia had showed his ability and staying power when impressing when landing the Group Three Chester Vase on the Roodee last month. And he again showed that stamina, as Delacroix trailed home ninth and The Lion In Winter 14th Lambourn powered to a three-and-three-quarters-of-a-length from the Charlie Johnston-trained Lazy Griff (50-1), under Christophe Soumillion – the same distance as when he was also runner-up at Chester. Tennessee Stud (28-1) – trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, who partnered Lambourn's sire Australia and Camelot (2012) to Derby glory – was another length back in third with New Ground (50-1) a neck further adrift in fourth. O'Brien, who was winning a record-extending 11th Derby and a third in a row after Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy triumphed, said: "Wayne gave him him an incredible ride. I'm delighted for Wayne, he's a great fellow, he does so much hard work. Everybody knew what he was going to do, he's very straightforward, Wayne knew he'd stay so he went forward. He's a very fit, genuine horse. He's a typical Australia so it's incredible and I'm delighted for Wayne. "It's incredible for everyone that we trained Australia to win the Derby and his sire as well, Galileo. I'm just a small part of it, everybody puts in so much, I can't tell you what a privelege it is. Australia was a great Derby winner and his horses are so straightforward, just like him. Advertisement "Lambourn was second to Delacroix first time out and we took him to Chester and we know you have to be on your game and you have to stay and that's the way he was. Ryan loved him at Chester, but he couldn't ride them all. I'd say he's probably an Irish Derby horse, but he will get further as well, he's very uncomplicated." On his other two Derby runners, O'Brien added: "Ryan said he got taken out of his ground over halfway so his chance was over, Colin (Keane) said The Lion In Winter wasn't going forward so it was maybe the track or the ground, we'll see. Wayne obviously got the fractions 100 per cent and Joseph's horse ran a stormer in third, so it's unbelievable." Jockey Wayne Lordan and trainer Aidan O'Brien with the trophy after winning the Betfred Derby with Lambourn at the 2025 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Saturday, June 7 2025 -Credit:PA Cork-born Lordan, who turned 43 last month and has been working at the Ballydoyle stable for the past eight years, was delighted to land a first Derby. He said: "I knew he'd set a good gallop. His ears were pricked. I knew he had plenty left. He's a horse that we know stays well. So I just thought, anybody that want's to get to get to me, will have to stay well, and it'll be tough for them. It's one of the greatest races for any jockey as all they want to do is win a derby."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lambourn delivers O'Brien record-extending 11th Epsom Derby
Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien won a record-extending 11th Epsom Derby as Lambourn put up an astonishing performance to lead from start to finish on Saturday. For O'Brien it completed an extraordinary two days as Minnie Hauk won the Oaks on Friday and his Jan Brueghel won the other Group One race, the Coronation Cup. Advertisement It is not the first time the 55-year-old has achieved the Oaks/Derby double, last doing it in 2020 with Love (Oaks) and Serpentine who like Saturday's winner also made all to win. "It's been an incredible two days, I am delighted," said O'Brien after in his usual generous fashion he had rattled off a whole series of people who should share in the glory. "This horse is: uncomplicated, genuine and committed. He always has been." Jockey Wayne Lordan was never challenged in winning his first Derby on his ninth ride in the race considered to be the 'blue riband' of flat racing. Advertisement Lordan's career was in doubt a couple of years ago after a dreadful fall in the Irish Derby in which he suffered a fractured leg and elbow and was out of action for eight months. "I had to go through a whole series of tests," he told English broadcaster ITV. "I finally got the green light, but it was rather an odd way to tell me I could ride again. "He said you are fit enough to take another fall. I knew if I had another fall it would the end of my career." - 'Very disappointing' - Saturday, though, represented his biggest ever victory, although it came in front of what looked to be a disappointing crowd, a smattering of spectators populating the normally packed Epsom Hill on the inside of the track. Advertisement For Lordan -- "a great fella" opined O'Brien -- that mattered not a jot. "It's one of the greatest races," said the 43-year-old. "For any jockey that wants to start out, all they ever want to do is win the Derby and I work for Aidan, Ballydoyle, Coolmore so I'm in a lucky position that I get to ask a horse like this." None of the other fancied horses landed a blow and it was two outsiders that were closest at the finish -- Lazy Griff (50/1) was second with 28/1 chance Tennessee Stud, trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, third. "I knew I'd gone a good gallop, his ears were pricked and I knew he had plenty left," said Lordan. Advertisement "He's a horse that we've always felt stays well so I just thought anybody that gets to me will have to stay well and it'd be tough for them." Lambourn more than made up for O'Brien's hugely disappointing race favourite, Delacroix. He was in the middle of the 18-runner field initially but as they turned for home he was third from last, his jockey Ryan Moore telling O'Brien he had been bumped and never recovered from the impact. He eventually finished ninth. There had been hopes that the Aga Khan Stud-owned Midak would deliver a poignant win in a race named this year in honour of the late Aga Khan IV, who won the race five times. Advertisement However, although he raced in fourth for a long way when the moment came for jockey Mickael Barzalona to move up a gear on the French runner he went into reverse and finished 10th. They at least got their chance to run, another of the favourites Ruling Court was pulled out less than two hours before the race. It dashed hopes of him becoming the first colt (male horse) since Nijinsky in 1970 to win the classic Triple Crown -- the oldest classic St Leger in September the final leg. "It's very disappointing," trainer Charlie Appleby told ITV. "Stamina was an unknown for us and we felt that what we saw in the Guineas on quick ground and the way he quickened that day, it was not going to be the ground for him today to be testing him over a mile and a half." pi/ea
