sport news 9-2 Auguste Rodin triumphs in the 244th Epsom Derby to hand trainer Aidan ... trends now
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Auguste Rodin showed why Aidan O’Brien’s faith in him was undiminished by his dismal run the 2,000 Guineas as the Ryan Moore-ridden 9-2 shot gave the trainer a remarkable ninth Betfred Derby win with a half-length win from King of Steel.
After threats of disruption from animal rights activists were snubbed out at Epsom, the 244th running of the Britain’s most important Flat race was an uneventful relief for organisers with no hard-luck stories.
The only disappointment for the crowd that annually gathers on the Downs and the millions watching around the world on television was that there was no final dream ride for Frankie Dettori.
His mount Arrest started 4-1 favourite and was perfectly placed in third rounding Tattenham Corner. But as the race hotted up Arrest slipped tamely back to finish 10th of the 14 starters.
Irish raider White Birch stayed on for third but in reality the mile-and-a-half-race only concerned two horses in the final quarter mile as Auguste Rodin made most of his opponents look like statues and ground down Roger Varian-trained 66-1 shot King of Steel who had looked like he might pull off one of the biggest shocks in Derby history.
9/2 Auguste Rodin took over outsider King Of Steel on the final straight to win the 2023 Epsom Derby
At the start of the season O’Brien, the most successful trainer in Derby history, had said Auguste Rodin, owned by the Coolmore Stud partners, was special and a possible contender to be the first winner of the Triple Crown – awarded for landing the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger – since Lester Piggott Nijinsky in 1970.
That hope was dashed with his Guineas defeat last month.
But O’Brien’s belief in the colt sired by Japanese
