Irish Derby 2011- Treasure Beach wins for Aidan O’Brien, Carlton House disappoints
26th June 2011 was a big day for Irish trainer, Aidan O’Brien, as he won his sixth consecutive and ninth overall Irish Derby.
O’Brien’s Treasure Beach under jockey, Colm O’Donoghue, brought home the $1,772,850 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at Curragh.
Galileo’s son, Treasure Beach had suffered a setback at the Investec Derby by losing to Pour Moi but showed great recovery at the Irish Classic. Treasure Beach did not start the race very strongly, while competitor Memphis Tennessee set the early pace.
Memphis Tennessee, ridden by jockey Joseph O’Brien, set the early pace for the race, followed by Seville under Seamie Heffernan and Notable Guest under Pat Smullen, while Carlton House ran at the back of the pack but after the first seven furlongs things
started to change.
Memphis Tennessee and Seville continued to lead but Treasure Beach and Carlton house gained pace and galloped towards the front of the pack. After covering a mile and one furlong, Seville took the lead from Memphis Tennessee, but, Treasure Beach was even
faster and rapidly crossed not just Memphis Tennessee but also Seville to win by ¾ of a length.
A victorious O’Brien said:
"Treasure Beach has progressed with every run …We are very lucky in that his owners have decided to keep their horses in training as four-year-olds, and that gives us options with giving the three-year-olds breaks".
He also praised the performance of jockey Colm by saying that he was excellent on Treasure Beach and produced him ‘brilliantly’. He later admired Treasure Beach’s stable mate Memphis Tennessee for setting a good pace for the race.
According to O’Brien, Treasure Beach might now participate in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp or next year’s, King George, at Ascot. Another alternative could be to simply rest until the second half of this season.
Ironically, most of O’Brien’s Irish Derby winners, such as, Fame and Glory, Frozen Fire, Soldier Of Fortune, and, Dylan Thomas did not win the Investec Derby at Epsom. Coincidentally, neither did Treasure Beach.
This is not where O’Brien’s brilliance and expertise as a trainer ends. Ten of the last twelve Railway Stakes winners have also been his pupils.
The Queen’s Carlton House, despite being the 5/4 favourite finished a disappointing fourth. The Queen’s racing manager, John Warren, said little other than that Carlton House ran ‘flat’. If trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, continues training this four-year-old
son of Street Cry, he might improve. But it is unlikely that after this performance he will be named favourite for another race soon.
While things do not look too good for Carlton House, they are certainly looking bright for Treasure Beach, as he now has four wins from eight starts. Under ace trainer, O’Brien, he is likely to improve. Whether he will carve himself a future as that of O’Brien’s
Gold Cup winner Fame and Glory is yet to be seen, but it sure looks likes a possibility.
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