Why Auguste Rodin can be rated an above-average Derby winner
It may have been a wide-open Derby with doubts surrounding the leading fancies, but in pulling the best part of five lengths clear with surprise runner-up King Of Steel, Auguste Rodin can be rated an above-average winner with a Racing Post Rating of 124+.
The 9-2 shot was the form pick going into the race, but this was nonetheless a huge turnaround from his disappointing run when a strong favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. Given his highly progressive two-year-old profile, it's unlikely we've seen the best of him yet.
Having beaten only one home when behind Auguste Rodin in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy last October, King Of Steel rates a huge improver. An RPR of 122 puts him a little above the recent standard for a Derby runner-up, bettered only by another Roger Varian-trained contender in subsequent St Leger winner Kingston Hill (123 in 2014) in the past ten years.
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Published on 3 June 2023inDerby festival
Last updated 18:15, 3 June 2023
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- Animal Rising protester to remain in custody after being refused bail at magistrates' court
- 'The stewards are going to brush this under the carpet and the rules need to change' - trainer blasts Dash debacle