Treasure leads in Irish Derby 1-2-3 for O'Brien

Report: Curragh, Sunday

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1) 1m4f, 3yo colts & fillies

AIDAN O'BRIEN completed a 1-2-3 in the Irish Derby for a fourth time as Treasure Beach got up late on to edge out Seville with Memphis Tennessee finishing third.

O'Brien was winning the race for the sixth successive year and the ninth in total, while it was a first Irish Derby win for jockey Colm O'Donoghue on board the 7-2 chance who won by three-quarters of a length.

Carlton House, sent off the 5-4 favourite, could only finish fourth, finding it impossible to go with the O'Brien trio late on.

Treasure Beach, who was posting a fourth win in eight starts having beaten all bar Pour Moi in the Derby, was given a quote of 10-1 by William Hill for the King George VI& Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) at Ascot next month, while the same firm make him a 5-1 chance for the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster in September.

As was the case at Epsom three weeks ago, Memphis Tennessee was sent into an early lead under Joseph O'Brien but on this occasion it was Seville and Seamie Heffernan who sat behind the pacemaker, as opposed to Treasure Beach who raced at the head of the main group with Notable Graduate.

Ryan Moore had royal runner Carlton House at the back of the field where he raced in company with Native Khan, who had finished two places behind him in fifth at Epsom, and the fourth O'Brien-trained runner, Irish Guineas winner Roderic O'Connor.

Donoghue again got first run on Moore and Carlton House, as he did at Epsom, making his move up towards his stablemates half a mile from home with the trio settling down to battle out the finish after Carlton House was unable to get on terms with them, finishing two lengths behind the winner

Having managed to reel in Memphis Tennessee, Seville looked likely to add his name to O'Brien's glorious roll call of Irish Derby winners, which includes the likes of Galileo, High Chaparral and Dylan Thomas. However, Treasure Beach's abundant stamina came into play as he galloped past his stablemate in the race to the line.

 

O'Brien, who also had the first three home in this race in 2002, 2007 and 2010, said: "The Epsom form has stood up well and Seville, who puzzled us at Epsom, came back to form.

"The plan was to make it an even pace and it should have suited everybody."

While the bookmakers were looking at Ascot or Doncaster as the likely venues for Treasure Beach's next outing, O'Brien has another race in mind and a trip to France on July 14.

"He has the options of the Grand Prix de Paris and then the King George is also a possibility but we could give him a break," he said.

"Seville could be in the picture for the same two races but we need to talk about it. Memphis Tennessee is entered in the St Leger."

While a step up in trip could be on the cards for Memphis Tennessee now, Carlton House looks like racing over shorter.

After this latest disappointment his trainer Sir Michael Stoute said: "We were waitingfor something to happen but it didn't. We will put him back in distance now."

Such has O'Brien dominated the Irish Derby that William Hill make him a 6-4 chance to win the Classic for a tenth time in 2012.