High Chaparral wins Irish Derby
Ballydoyle’s domination continued at The Curragh with a 1-2-3 in the Irish Derby
Aidan O’Brien enjoyed yet another classic 1-2-3 with High Chaparral, Sholokhov and Ballingarry in Sunday’s Irish Derby.
High Chaparral, the 1-3 favourite, duly followed up his Epsom Derby defeat of stable companion Hawk Wing with a three-and-a-half length demolition job on other members of the Ballydoyle team, with the rest nowhere.
Once Mick Kinane organised High Chaparral on the turn into the straight, their progress was majestic. High Chaparral sat on the heels of the leaders in fourth place a quarter of a mile out with Kinane able to glance back in the knowledge that the race was his for the taking.
High Chaparral, the sixth Irish Derby winner by the legendary stallion Sadler’s Wells, used his impressive stride to demolish the front runners and power home in the style of a very high class colt.
O’Brien has now saddled the first and second in this season’s 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Irish 2000 Guineas and Royal Ascot’s St James’s Palace Stakes, as well as the Epsom Derby. He has also won the French 2000 Guineas with Landseer.
High Chaparral will sidestep the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot at the end of the month, and be prepared instead for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on the first Sunday in October.
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