Wings Of Eagles retired after injury

● Shock Derby winner suffers fracture at Curragh

Aidan O’brien believes Investec Derby hero Wings Of Eagles ran an “incredible” race to finish third in Saturday’s Irish Derby despite sustaining a career-ending injury.

The Pour Moi colt was a shock 40-1 winner of the premier Classic at Epsom at the start of June and aimed to become the Ballydoyle handler’s fifth dual Derby winner at the Curragh.

He was beaten just half a length in third behind stablemate Capri and John Gosden’s Cracksman, but it proved to be his final racecourse appearance. He was found to be lame yesterday morning and was diagnosed with a fracture of his left front sesamoid which forced him to be retired.

O’brien said: “You’re always worried when they pull out

0 Jockey Padraig Beggy wins the Derby on Wings Of Eagles. and he pulled out very sore this morning.

“When the lads X-rayed him, his sesamoid had completely come apart. It’s incredible he ran the race he did with that. We’re very sorry to lose him because he was a very unusual horse in that he stayed very well but quickened very well.

“It’s just one of those things. It’s a pity.”

Wings Of Eagles kicked off his three-year-old campaign by finishing second to stablemate Venice Beach in the Chester Vase before his surprise victory at Epsom in the hands of Padraig Beggy. Beggy was replaced by Ryan Moore on Saturday. In all he won two of his seven starts and earned over £1 million in win and place prize-money.

Meanwhile, Al Destoor is expected to go well under his big weight in the feature race at Hamilton Park tonight.

Trained in Staffordshire by Jennie Candlish, he shoulders 10st 2lb as he faces seven rivals in the £15,000 Chatelherault Handicap over 1m 4f.

The trainer’s partner and assistant Alan O’keeffe said: “He was impressive when win- ning last time at Chester and the key to him is having juice in the ground.

“He was very good the last day over 1m 2f and he should be just as well suited by this trip. He has gone up 9lb for that five-length win but he likes the track as he was second over course and distance last summer.”

Among the opposition are David O’meara-trained Gaelic Tiger and Lee Smyth’s Irish raider My Brother who were separated by a neck when first and second at the Lanarkshire track last month.