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Home / News / Irish Derby: Cometh the hour, Cometh the Camelot‏

Irish Derby: Cometh the hour, Cometh the Camelot‏

Camelot 642 X 350.jpg
Photo: Emma-Louise Kerwin/Goodtosoft.co.uk
A son of Montjeu lives the dream; The dream that St Nicholas Abbey thrived for, the dream that he had the ability for, the dream that he could not quite muster the fitness for after a two year old season of undoubted potential. Whilst St Nicholas Abbey now realises his dream two years later, it is another son of Montjeu who thrusts himself into the limelight with two legs of the English Triple Crown firmly under his belt. Not quite satisfied with that, he goes for Irish Classic glory on Saturday at the Curragh. 

In a year where the racing world prematurely lost Montjeu at the age of 16, it is Camelot who picks up the baton for his progeny. Unbeaten in five beating a total of 33 rivals in the process, Camelot has done all that has been asked of him and beaten every horse that connections dare to race against him. Saturday looks similar to his last five outings; A likely long odds-on shot, Camelot looks to use this as a springboard towards the final part of his jigsaw and the final part of the English Triple Crown. Don't be fooled by the voices that say this is just a very small warm up, Aidan O'Brien is clear in his comments that the Irish Derby is - in his own opinion - the greatest Derby of them all. With nine victories in the race to his name, it's clear to see that O'Brien has had somewhat of a stranglehold on this race since his taking over the reins at Ballydoyle and is undefeated in the race since 2005. Dylan Thomas, Soldier and Fortune and Cape Blanco have all won this race since O'Brien refusal to relinquish control of the race but the likes of Galileo, Desert King and High Chaparral also form part of a record nine victories in the race for O'Brien, an exceptional achievement for a trainer with many other records on his radar this year including Robert Frankel's long standing Group/Grade 1 victory tally.

In typical Ballydoyle style, not comfortable with just one runner in an Irish Group 1, O'Brien also runs Astrology and Imperial Monarch in the race. Third in the Epsom Derby after cutting out most of the running, Astrology failed to perform last time at Royal Ascot when an odds-on favourite in the 'Ascot Derby'. It's interesting to see him entered here in a manner that seems to suggest - rightly or wrongly - that they are running him purely as a pacemaker because of his early speed. So soon after Ascot, it's not a move I personally welcome considering his talent prior to that race, but a move that Ballydoyle look set to pursue. Imperial Monarch on the other hand is the second favourite on the morning line having rattled home in the Prix du Jockey Club last time at Chantilly. Imperial Monarch is a talented son of Galileo most notably known for his wide victory at Sandown in the Classic Trial in May. Wide under the trees and giving away the best part of eight lengths on the home turn, Joseph O'Brien exerted a phenomenal finishing effort from his charge to be victorious over Thought Worthy.  Imperial Monarch is yet to run over the Derby distance - at least he wasn't meant to - but his finishing burst and likeliness to improve for the Derby trip could make him an interesting opposition for his stable mate. 

Of the others, Born To Sea is a familiar name. A half brother to Sea The Stars out of Urban Sea, the wins haven't been forthcoming for Born To Sea like his brother yet he has steadily been progressing with each race. This step up to 1m4f comes after dual-Guineas runs in the English and Irish renewals of the race before his best effort yet in the St James' Palace Stakes. All of his previous runs have come over a mile and this step up is taken on chance, yet he has been rattling home late in his races since the English 2000 Guineas and the 1m4f should exert improvement from him. One with almost no stamina doubts to his name is Dermot Weld's Speaking of Which; A three year old son of Invincible Spirit, Speaking Of Which exploded onto the scene at the Curragh last month with a nine length success over two of Camelot's lesser stable mates - Athens and Soon. Weld has slowly been edging some exceptionally talented horses into the public eye this year including, most recently, a half sister to Emulous by the name of Caponata. Add Sapphire and the Ribblesdale Stakes winner, Princess Highway, to that name and you'll start to wonder just how good a season Dermot Weld could have. Speaking of Which himself has had just the three lifetime runs with the last race being his first foray into Group company and his first step up to 1m2f. The effort in that race firmly suggests he could be Camelot's main rival here and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Weld could train the shock winner of the Derby on Saturday. Add Jim Bolger's Light Heavy and John Oxx's lightly-raced Akeed Mofeed into the mix and this race is arguably a tougher proposition for Camelot than the Epsom renewal.

Defending the Irish Derby for O'Brien may be first on the agenda but a date with Doncaster is drawing ever closer. Victory here is anticipated, awaited and expected but the field in which Camelot faces is tougher than his Epsom Derby victory. Tough as it is, victory for Camelot should be all but assured here en route to Doncaster and despite my personal belief that he will be beaten before the year is out, whether this spot is the one in which he is defeated in is another matter entirely. 

 

              Photo Courtesy of Emma-Louise Kerwin  (Goodtosoft.co.uk)  

 

St Nicholas Abbey  |  Montjeu  |  Imperial Monarch  |  Camelot  |  Born To Sea  |  Aidan P. O'Brien  |  Curragh-IRE  |  Irish Derby  |  Irish Derby (2012)

What the Nation is saying about Irish Derby: Cometh the hour, Cometh the Camelot‏...

@BrianZipse, Much agreed. Provided 14f doesn't prove a bridge too far for Camelot, which I seriously doubt being the son of Montjeu, he's clearly head and shoulders above any of the rest of the middle distance 3yr.old's I've seen in Europe this season. Assuming he does go on to the G1 English St. Leger in September, and comes out of that race healthy, he could be a tough row to hoe for the older horses in the Arc this year with the weight for age break he'd get for being a 3yr.old. I just can't imagine Coolmore not sending Camelot to Longchamp in October to run in the Arc De Triomphe? He'd likely stand a better chance of winning the Arc for Ballydoyle than their older horses would, i.e, St Nicholas Abbey, So You Think, etc.., IMO.
And the list of great horses racing in the UK goes on and on. The race was barely over and the first thing out of the color commentator’s mouth was “And Camelot remains beaten. Maybe we are about to see the greatest horse we’ve seen in well over forty years.” Wow. Frankel. Your fame is fleeting. Move over there’s a new greatest ever horse in town.
A healthy Camelot should become an English Triple Crown winner ... the rest of the European three-year-olds are just not that good.
The word is that Aidan O'Brien pulled Imperial Monarch out of the Irish Derby to send him to Sandown for the G1 Coral-Eclipse at 10f in early July. Imperial Monarch won the G3 Classic Trial over 10f at Sandown earlier in the season. European bookmakers have him at 6-1 ante-post now for the Coral-Eclipse.
Late scratches of Coolmore's Imperial Monarch and Moyglare Stud's Speaking Of Which cut Saturday's G1 Irish Derby field to 5 runners. The smallest field in 100 years according to the Racing Post. With Imperial Monarch now out, Camelot should win the race in hand, IMO. I think Jim Bolger's colt, Light Heavy, is his most likely stern challenger now. As this colt has been very progressive of late. Stablemate Astrology remains in the 5-horse field. But he's had 2 recent pretty taxing races when finishing 3rd in the G1 Epsom Derby and a disappointing 4th of 5 as race favorite in the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot during last week's royal meeting.
Even when the field is the driest, it is only listed as good.
Word is the ground is heavy at the Curragh ... will Camelot run?
At his best I think Camelot is definitely the horse to beat in the Irish Derby. But I wouldn't entirely rule out him getting very serious competition from his own stablemate, Imperial Monarch in the race. Imperial Monarch looked a very good horse earlier in the season in winning the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown on very testing ground that day. He got a horrid trip at Chantilly in the G1 Prix Du Jockey Club, never able to get into the clear until it was too little, too late. But he did close like a shot in that race, too.
I hope Camelot wins the Irish Derby; it'll be brilliant if he does!
Good luck to Camelot this weekend, love to see the sport filled with as many stars as possible.
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