Galileo’s Sovereign In Derby Surprise

[Wandering Eyes]

There was a shock of major proportions in Saturday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby as Ballydoyle’s pacemaker Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) went out of sight of his stablemates and refused to stop en route to a six-length success. Partnered by the Epsom Derby-winning Padraig Beggy, the 33-1 shot who was 10th in the June 1 G1 Epsom Derby had Norway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for company until shaking loose approaching the last two furlongs. Despite the steady advance of the 5-4 favourite Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the gulf was too wide and it was another big-priced Derby victory for the rider of Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}). Norway dropped back to third, 2 1/2 lengths away, in a renewal that will long be remembered for the way it turned pre-race logic on its head. Whatever the starting price of the winner, it was still a sixth one-two-three for the Aidan O’Brien stable and the sire in their favourite Classic and a 13th victory in total. “It’s great to have horses to compete here and there is no hiding place,” the master of Ballydoyle commented. “Sovereign is a very genuine, well-bred horse who stays very well and the pace was always solid and upfront.”

Sovereign had looked more of a St Leger type than a Derby colt when galloping remorselessly to a 14-length maiden win on his third start over an extended mile on heavy ground at Galway and backed up that impression when fourth after cutting out the running in the G2 Beresford S. at Naas in September. Third to Guaranteed (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) after adopting the same tactics in the nine-furlong G3 Eyrefield S. at Leopardstown a month later, he had acted as one of the targets for Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in both the G3 Ballysax S. at Leopardstown Apr. 6 and the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial back there May 12. Eight-lengths runner-up on testing ground in the former contest, he had narrowed the margin to three when third in the Derrinstown but there was nothing in his Epsom effort when used to set the tempo to suggest he had this kind of performance in his armoury.

Whereas Beggy had come from the clouds on Wings of Eagles at Epsom two years ago, this was a case of cut-and-dried hard running from the front to provide the bullseye for Anthony Van Dyck et al. By the time Norway began to suffer for attempting to lay close to him, Sovereign was already in an unassailable lead turning for home with Ryan Moore drawing the remainder out of hibernation a long way out of their ground. As the chestnut hit the line still thundering, the assembled crowd fell mostly silent as the fancied colts just trailed in his wake. While it was nigh-on impossible to predict beforehand, the end result could be argued to have had a sense of inevitability about it in hindsight, with numerous regally-bred Galileos employed for pacemaking by the stable throughout the years. At some point, one of them was going to rewrite the script and there was a precedent in the nine-length G1 1000 Guineas victory of Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) at 25-1 in 2012.

Beggy, who was also narrowly denied on the outsider Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in this 12 months ago, was in no doubt that this victory took precedence over his Epsom highlight. “I’m over the moon. This would be more important to me as an Irishman growing up wanting to win it and it was my main aim as an apprentice,” he explained. “I am very lucky and it’s down to a big group of people, but mainly to Aidan O’Brien who put me on this horse. I got into a lovely comfortable rhythm and always felt I could go quicker. He really enjoyed it here–he’s a big galloper and kept going. I did think something would come to me, but when I saw the screen I knew I was clear and just needed to keep him organised to the line.”

O’Brien added, “He did have very good two-year-old form and won at Galway, which is a tough track and you have to stay very well. He’s a quick breaker–tactically quick–and doesn’t mind bowling along and keeps galloping. If there is any chink in the armour, it will be exposed here and you have to stay and that’s the way it was. He could be a Leger horse or could go to France [for the July 14 G1 Grand Prix de Paris] or the [July 27 G1] King George. He handles soft ground as well as fast. Looking at it, the first two got away from them and Anthony Van Dyck didn’t look like he stopped galloping going to the line. Padraig’s a great fellow who works hard like everybody day in day out and he’s a great rider.”

Sovereign is out of Barronstown Stud’s Devoted To You (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who raced at or around a mile for this stable and also won a Galway maiden on testing ground at two by a wide margin. Second in the G2 Debutante S. and the G3 Park Express S., she is a half-sister to four stakes winners including the GIII Honeybee S. scorer Humble Eight (Seattle Battle), She is in turn the dam of the listed-winning Sadler’s Wells full-siblings Stage Call (Ire) and Humilis (Ire), while the third dam is the G3 Fillies’ Mile third Morning Devotion (Affirmed). Her trio of group winners are Balanchine (Storm Bird), the heroine of this Classic in 1994, the G2 Jockey Club S. scorer Romanov (Ire) (Nureyev) and the G2 Sun Chariot S. winner Red Slippers (Nureyev).

Red Slippers, who produced the G1 Prix de Diane heroine West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian), is also the second dam of the dual G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) and the G2 May Hill S. winner and G1 1000 Guineas third Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal). Also connected to the dual Australian group 1 winner Trust in a Gust (Aus) (Keep the Faith {Aus}) and the Japanese group 1 performer Shonan Mighty (Jpn) (Manhattan Cafe {Jpn}), Devoted To You’s duo to follow are also by Galileo and are a 2-year-old colt named Dawn Rising (Ire) and a yearling filly.

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY-G1, €1,500,000, Curragh, 6-29, 3yo, 12fT, 2:31.50, gd.
1–SOVEREIGN (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Devoted To You (Ire) (MGSP-Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Alleged Devotion, by Alleged
3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Padraig Brendan Beggy. €855,000. Lifetime Record: 9-2-1-2, $1,019,699. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Believe’n’succeed (Aus), by Exceed and Excel (Aus). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €300,000.
3–Norway (Ire), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Love Me True, by Kingmambo. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Southern Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €150,000.
Margins: 6, 2HF, NO. Odds: 33.00, 1.25, 16.00.
Also Ran: Madhmoon (Ire), Guaranteed (Ire), Broome (Ire), Il Paradiso, Rakan (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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