Derby delight for phenomenal O’Brien
His predecessor at Ballydoyle, the late and legendary Vincent O’Brien, won six in a glittering career.
But the current Ballydoyle resident will not celebrate his 40th birthday until October 16 and the mind boggles as to what his final total may be.
Extraordinarily, he has now won 10 of the last 11 classics run in this country.
“Fame And Glory is a great traveller and a classy horse,” reported O’Brien. “This is unbelievable, a very, very special day. Johnny (Murtagh) gave him a great ride. I felt he had gone the right way since Epsom and I would say is just coming to his peak now.
“He’s got a lot of tactical speed and was very quick to get into his stride. He’s a great traveller and he’s a classy horse.
“It’s unbelievable to win this race again. When there is expectation, like there was today, it’s always tense – but this is marvellous. Johnny was over the moon and he has won very snugly. Everyone knows the Curragh is a straightforward track and there is nowhere to hide.”
Fame And Glory had his task considerably eased, however, by the decision of John Oxx not to run Sea The Stars, because he regarded the ground as being too soft for his charge.
Johnny Murtagh, now three times a winner of the Irish Derby, said: “This is like our Royal Ascot and a great champion always wins it. I rode (Irish Derby winners) Sinndar and Alamshar and they went on to better things, and this horse has a similar profile. I don’t care what turned up today – he would have been hard to beat.”
Sea The Stars, of course, easily beat Fame And Glory when winning the Epsom Derby. Michael Kinane, who switched from Sea The Stars to third placed Mourayan, hit out at the Curragh.
Said Kinane: “They over-watered when the threat of showers was there.
“They only have themselves to blame that Sea The Stars wasn’t here today, not John Oxx.”
