Ireland
Ballydoyle’s ninth trifecta in the Irish Derby
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
It could be argued that The Curragh staged the “real” Derby on Sunday, with the Blue Riband “non-runner” Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) showing what he could have done had Epsom not turned into a quagmire.
Staged on safe, fast summer ground, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby went the way of Aidan O'Brien as had 17 previous renewals since he took over at Ballydoyle, with a remarkable ninth one-two-three in the Classic for good measure.
“He's got a lot of quality and Epsom was just a mess,” Ryan Moore said. “It was an unusual set of circumstances and he had no hope there, but he's a beautiful mover and travelled into the race beautifully today. I produced him sooner than I would have liked, but when there is wind like there is today The Curragh gets complicated and you can't win from too far back.”
“He's (Benvenuto Cellini) a beautiful mover and travelled into the race beautifully today.” - Ryan Moore
Last to load to avoid the Epsom stalls fiasco, the 7-4 favourite was switched to the fence soon after the start and all the negativity of his widest draw was instantly negated. Action (Frankel) was sacrificed on the front end to supply the appropriate hot fractions, with Christmas Day (Camelot) and Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) in tow travelling strongly. In the back straight, nearly all was going to plan up ahead with the outsider Shaihaan (Night Of Thunder) the only potential complication for the chestnut.
Delivered four-wide wide entering the straight, the Champions Juvenile and Chester Vase winner was able to pick up the Derby winner with relative comfort approaching the furlong pole and may have been idling in the clear as he led the latest stable whitewash here. Christmas Day kept finding to be 1.75 lengths away, with Pierre Bonnard at last able to show his true colours in 2026, a neck away in third. The winning time was 2:28.33, making it the fifth fastest Irish Derby this century.
Since his first one-two-three in 2002, O'Brien had achieved the feat in 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020 and 2023 and had the first two home in 2009 and 2025. All three and the pacemaker Action are set to go in different directions now, with the winner being aimed at the King George next month. Interestingly, of those winners sent to Ascot by O'Brien, only Galileo was successful back in 2001.
“He had a very ordinary run in Epsom, but we knew all the things that went wrong,” O'Brien said. “There was going to be nowhere to hide, you were either going to follow or not get into it and we didn't know what was going to happen.
“We knew the pace was going to be on and he was going to be put to the pin of his collar, but he always worked with that class whereas we knew that Christmas Day would stay further. He wasn't going to be easy to catch because he was ridden forward and positive and I just hope everyone enjoyed it–this facility, this track, with beautiful ground on a beautiful day.
“I had no faith after Epsom, I thought it was impossible as he was beaten two furlongs there and the Epsom form always stands up,” he added. “We have often come here thinking we would overturn the Epsom horse if we were beaten and it never happened, so it's amazing. If there was any weakness in his armour, it was going to be exposed.
“Fair play to the lads for letting the Derby winner come here too and risk being de-valued. Declan (McDonogh) got the fractions spot-on, his horse (Action) will go back in trip and this horse could go to the King George if he doesn't need a break.”
Aidan O'Brien | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“If he does need a break, he could come back for the Irish Champion and he's a ready-made American horse,” the Ballydoyle handler said of the winner. “He's real slick and fast and that will suit - fast ground with the pace on as he has that kind of quality. Pierre could be a possible for France in two weeks (the Grand Prix de Paris) if he doesn't need a break and we have Causeway for that too. Ronan's horse (Christmas Day) is a real Leger type.”
Pedigree: Benvenuto Cellini, who was becoming Frankel's third Irish Derby winner after Hurricane Lane in 2012 and Westover in 2022, was adding a second renewal of this Classic to his family's honour roll after Latrobe (Camelot) in 2018. He is the second foal out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Just a Game heroine Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega), with the first being the winner's full sister Giselle who captured the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial and finished third at Group 3 level.
The second dam is the Sceptre Stakes scorer and Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Sunday Times (Holy Roman Emperor), whose Listed-placed half-sister Question Times by Lope De Vega's sire Shamardal was responsible for the aforementioned Latrobe and his multiple Group 1-placed full sister Pink Dogwood whose son of Frankel Giant Sequoia took Saturday's Barronstown Stud Maiden at this Festival.
America
Big crowd farewells Aqueduct
By Bill Finley, TDN
Aqueduct has been running since 1959, for 67 years, the track is rundown and a new shiny Belmont Park will open in September. So the time has come for New York racing to move on, for the Big A to step aside in the name of progress.
On Sunday, after the ninth race, a race they called “It Was a Good Run,” the Big A shut its doors, taking a lot of history and memories with it. But what could have easily been a sombre occasion was anything but.
“It's been a fun day,” NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke said while watching the horses prepare in the paddock for the fifth race. It was lively scene in the paddock, which was the case throughout the track, which hadn't seen a crowd of this size in a long time. The attendance was 6866.
“They came out to give the old girl one last shout out.” - David O'Rourke
“This crowd is amazing,” O'Rourke said. “They came out to give the old girl one last shout out. The weather worked out. The racing is good and there are a lot of young people here. In the 18 years I've been here, I've spent more time at Aqueduct than any other track, so this is a bittersweet moment. There's a lot of energy here. This is a good way to go out.”
David O'Rourke | Image courtesy of NYRA
Rooms like Longshots were jammed and the lines at the concession stands were long. But everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Fans were lined up to get in at 9am., more than four hours before the first race. Tom Durkin was brought back to call the second race. A band greeted patrons as they made their way through the turnstiles. This was anything but an ordinary Sunday afternoon at the Big A.
Every race was named for a notable figure or horse out of Aqueduct's past. There was the “Fusaichi Pegasus, The Triple Dead Heat, the Damascus, the Triple Crown Spoilers of Aqueduct–Amberoid and Quadrangle.”
“I came for closing day,” John Buckley said. “My father has a horse in in the eighth race. Yes, I'm going to miss coming here. We're gritty, grindy types. I come in February and March, for the Gotham and The Wood Memorial. The Remsen is my favourite race. Saratoga is very classy. Saratoga is very glamorous. But this is the place for the everyday player.”
“Saratoga is very classy. Saratoga is very glamorous. But this is the place for the everyday player.” - John Buckley
Racing fan Alex Rios said he had never been to Aqueduct before, so he didn't want to miss his last chance. But like many others he is looking forward to the opening of the new Belmont.
“It is sad to see Aqueduct close,” Rios said. “It is a legendary place. Obviously, it's fallen into a state of disrepair over the years. This is actually my first time here. I go to Saratoga all the time, but thought I had to come here for the last day. I can't wait for the new Belmont, especially for the Breeders' Cup. We have a lot to look forward to.”
After winning the fourth race with Starship Pegasus (Uncle Mo), trainer Michelle Nevin had a broad smile on her face. It was her 237th win at Aqueduct.
“It's good to win a race anywhere,” she said. “But Aqueduct has been very good to me. I have spent a lot of time here and have great memories here. Will I miss this place? Always.”
“Will I miss this place? Always.” - Michelle Nevin
The buglers played auld lang syne as the horses came on to the track for the last race. Fans packed the box sections overlooking the track and stood toe to toe in the area outside the paddock. Everyone seemed to have their cell phone cameras out.
Assume Nothing (Not This Time) will go down in history as the last ever winner at Aqueduct. Jaime Rodriguez was the winning rider. Jamie Ness was the winning trainer.
It has been a good run, indeed.
