Voyage zaps Betfred Epsom Derby
Ryan Moore riding City Of Troy on their way to winning the 16:30 Betfred Derby on June 1, 2024, at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Britain.
It is true we have heard it before, but usually in the Grand National. Pat Dobbs was unseated on Voyage 28-1, a few seconds after the Betfred Epsom Derby, but he carried on regardless.
Voyage was on a mission to succeed, no matter what. And he did. But sadly, it was nullified without Pat at his helm. It was very entertaining, mind you, as the other fifteen runners carried on being serious. Declared the greatest of Aiden O'Brien's ten Derby Classic titles, City of Troy (Ryan Moore 3-1), stayed mid-division as Euphoric set ablaze with Los Angeles.
Dallas Star, Mister Hampstead and Ancient Wisdom, all having a brief commentator airing. Ryan then asked City of Troy to step on the pedal. Ambiente Friendly (Robert Havlin 9-2), gave a good account of himself in second, although he did lose a couple of lengths negotiating Voyage's will to finish.
Los Angeles (Wayne Lordan 6-1), retained third, from Deira Mile, Sayedaty Sadaty, Dancing Gemini, Bellum Justum, Ancient Wisdom, Euphoric, Tabletalk, Kamboo, God's Window, Macduff, Dallas Star, and, Mister Hampstead.
Ryan Moore celebrates on City Of Troy after winning the 16:30 Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse on June 1, 2024.
Between thanking Coolmore Stud and Ballydoyle, Aiden again went back to the errors he had made before City Of Troy's comeback in Qipco's 2,000 Guineas. "We knew it went wrong. He was too fresh, unprepared and blew up in the stalls when he went in – and that's the reality of it.
Ryan Moore, winning his fourth Derby, once again proved the perfect partner for a pressure-cooker occasion, although he admitted City Of Troy's initial speedy response caught him unawares.
"We were able to pick a path and he took me there fluently. The race was over and he was in control of it a fair way out. Still a little bit inexperienced with Voyage in front of him, Troy was too special to worry about it."
"He showed so much as a two-year-old and it's great that Aidan has got him back, didn't lose faith in the horse, stuck to the plan and it paid off. We believed if he turned up like we thought he would he'd be too good for them – and he was."
Ryan Moore riding City Of Troy on their way to winning the 16:30 Betfred Derby Action on Juna 1, 2024.
Although Aiden usually heaps praise on Ryan in these moments, the maestro reversed roles as he paid tribute to a genius.
"He's been breaking records for so long now it's ridiculous – there's no one like him. It's more than being a genius with attention to detail and dedication. Everyone works hard in this game, but I've never known anyone work harder than him. Before his defeat at Newmarket, City Of Troy had been spoken about as both a potential Triple Crown hope and a Breeders' Cup Classic challenger. He could yet bid to seal his legacy on dirt in the United States.
"It's always been our passion to try and win the Classic," said Michael Tabor, part-owner of City Of Troy with Sue Magnier and Derrick Smith. "We were second with Giant's Causeway and, being by Justify, surely we'll give it a try eventually."
