Wings of Eagles Upsets Epsom Derby

Padraig Beggy made his first ride in the Investec Derby (G1) a winning one June 3 aboard 40-1 shot Wings Of Eagles and provided trainer Aidan O'Brien with his sixth victory in the 12-furlong classic.

O'Brien, the master craftsman of Ballydoyle, brought six horses (a third of the field) to contest the 238th running of the Epsom Downs event. Of the half-dozen horses in the Ballydoyle battalion, Coolmore's genetic pillar Galileo sired five that spanned the betting spectrum, from Cliffs of Moher (5-1) to the The Anvil (66-1). The only outlier among the group was Wings of Eagles, a French-bred son of 2011 Derby winner Pour Moi, a son of the late Montjeu who also stood at Coolmore. 

In contrast to the clouds and showers that beset the preceding day's Oaks, sunny skies blessed the Downs for Derby Day. With the Queen in attendance, 18 horses paraded to the post, with favoritism falling upon Cracksman, a son of Frankel trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, who were hoping to repeat Enable's Oaks success of a day earlier.

Ballydoyle's crack jockey Ryan Moore chose Cliffs of Moher, the lightly raced member of Coolmore's crew who took the 1 5/16-mile Homeserve Dee Stakes at Chester in his run-up to the Derby. Godolphin's three-pronged entry comprised Benbatl (Dubawi), Best Solution (Kodiac), and Dubai Thunder (Dubawi). Godolphin ace jockey William Buick chose Permian (Teofilo), owned by Sheikh Mohammed's son Sheikh Hamdan and trained by Mark Johnston.

When the gates sprang open, Ballydoyle's pacesetting pair of Douglas Macarthur and The Anvil set quick fractions through the uphill climb. The two racing in tandem opened a clear five-length lead on the rest of the closely bunched field when they were joined by O'Brien-trained Venice Beach in the straight. 

In the back of the pack, with traffic yet to deal with, was Wings of Eagles (16th), while the midpack included Cracksman (fifth). When the earnest running began with about two furlongs remaining, Dettori moved Cracksman into contention and ultimately the lead with a furlong remaining. Cliffs of Moher made his bid on the outside, scything the distance between him and the leaders with every stride, and grabbed the advantage. Beggy had Wings of Eagles seventh and closing with conviction as five 3-year-olds bore down to the wire with a ferocious full-throttle battle.

Wings of Eagles and Cliffs of Moher matched strides, with Cliffs of Moher the first to blink, leaving a three-quarter length victory to Wings of Eagles in 2:33.02.

"Padraig gave the horse a brilliant ride," O'Brien said. "He saw him in all his work, as Padraig rides work with Donnacha (O'Brien). They are partners, so they would have seen all the work Wings Of Eagles did, even if he didn't ride him every day.

"With (Cliffs of Moher), we were just slightly worried that he was a bit of a baby and he just tired in the last 50 yards, but Padraig gave Wings Of Eagles a great ride. We were delighted."

Cracksman held on for third by a neck behind Cliffs of Moher and three-quarters of a length better than fourth-place finisher Eminent (Frankel).

Owners Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith picked up their seventh Epsom Derby victory, six of them with O'Brien-trained horses. Their only victory without O'Brien came in 2011 with the Andre Fabre-trained Pour Moi. With three crops of racing age (including juveniles), 9-year-old Pour Moi is currently relegated to the National Hunt stallion roster at Coolmore. 

"Ryan picked Cliffs of Moher but all six horses went there with a big chance," Smith said. "They all finished close together in the trials and that was just the way it was. We couldn't really identify who was our second, third and fourth best; they all had an equal chance in our eyes.

"That was a really nice run and he was the best horse on the day. It's great for Pour Moi to sire a Derby winner."

Gilles and Aliette Forien bred the Derby winner from their classic-placed Kendor mare Ysoldina, a half sister to four group stakes winners, including Belle Et Celebre (Peintre Celebre), who won the group 1 Montjeu Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary. M. V. Magnier purchased Wings of Eagles as a yearling from the 2015 Arqana August sale for €220,00 ($244,398).