Derby surprise will live forever
O’Brien leaves racing world stunned
As shocks go, the success of Aidan O’Brien’s Wings Of Eagles in the Investec Derby at the weekend was one of the biggest in the race in recent years.
Watching in the house, and cheering on my selection Eminent, I thought the Irish maestro of a trainer had won yet another Derby with Cliffs Of Moher.
Then came that electrifying burst on the outside by Padraig Begg’s horse and it was an O’Brien 1- 2 but not in the order anyone could have predicted.
The horse fully deserved his win rattling home by three quarters of a length but the 40- 1 shot, one of six O’Brien horses in the contest, couldn’t have been backed on the evidence of his previous run – a second at Chester behind stablemate Venice Beach who could finish only twelfth on Saturday.
But I don’t think there’s anything like a poor Aidan O’Brien runner in a classic and so it proved in the final furlong as Wings Of Eagles took off and powered past Cliffs Of Moher.
It was an amazing win considering the horse had been hampered soon after the start and then again two furlongs out.
He could turn out to be a very decent Derby winner.
And what about the jockey? Padraig Beggy gave Wings Of Eagles an absolute peach of a ride, overcoming that interference in running I mentioned to produce him in closing stages to win very cosily.
Padraig was understated in victory, passing all of the credit to the horse and I loved his quote – “his best furlong of the race was his last.”
For an unknown jockey to ride a Derby winner is a huge deal. Padraig, incredibly, had ridden only one winner this season before his Epsom triumph and his main role is as a work rider with O’Brien.
But to be on the staff at the Cashel stables you have to be very good and in the aftermath of the big race O’Brien was quoted as saying Padraig was “a world class jockey” and to be fair he certainly gave his mount a stellar ride.
It’s amazing to think though that he spent two years with John Quinn in North Yorkshire earlier in his career and recorded only eight wins.
Next stop was Australia where he incurred a lengthy suspension after testing positive for drugs.
He returned to Ireland in 2015 to take up his post with O’Brien and his life changed forever on Saturday.
I’m sure he will have many more winners in his career but I don’t think the 31- year- old jockey will ever upstage his shock success on the Downs on Saturday.
I was shocked to hear of the untimely death of David ‘ Dandy’ Nicholls the jockey turned trainer who saddled no fewer than six Ayr Gold Cup winners with Bahamian Pirate ( 2000), Continent ( 2001), Funfair Wane ( 2002 and 2004), Regal Parade ( 2008) and Redford ( 2010).
David was an absolute genius of a trainer, particularly sprinters, and he enjoyed huge success over the years. Ironically, it was on another sprinter Soba he made his name as a jockey.
On the weekend he passed away, Sovereign Debt, a horse he trained until earlier this year, won the Diomed Stakes at Epsom.
David was a one- off, a guy who called a spade a shovel and who liked to punctuate his sentences with expletives.
He was a real character and for many years a superb trainer who was sadly forced to quit the sport earlier this year.
Racing has lost a wonderful person.