Newbridge, Co. Kildare: Harzand became only the 18th horse to complete an English and Irish derby ‘double’ at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh Racecourse in Ireland’s County Kildare on Saturday.
The 4-6 favourite, ridden by Pat Smullen, trained by Dermot Weld and owned by Aga Khan IV, edged Idaho by a length and a half, after having beaten the same horse by two and three quarter lengths to win the Epsom Derby earlier this month.
“It was a much better race than it was at Epsom,” said Weld. “He had to improve and he did. I knew my horse had improved physically but it was great to see two fine jockeys in Pat Smullen and [Idaho’s] Ryan Moore fighting all the way to the finish line.
“He had been on antibiotics last week but I knew he was in good form as his coat had begun to shine,” he added of Harzand. And of Smullen’s performance, he said: “He is an outstanding rider, at the peak of his career and has won great races all over the world.”
Smullen was completing an Irish Derby double for Weld, after having also won the race on Gray Swallow back in 2004.
Aga Khan IV, said: “You can never back away from this activity, you have to work 24 hours a day 365 days a year. There is a wonderful circle of involvement within our operation. This is a whole team and we are immensely grateful for the great work put in particularly by Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen.”
Dubai Duty Free sponsored six of the eight races on the card including the flagship Derby.
Colm McLoughlin, the executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai Duty Free, said: “This is a unique occasion and we are happy to see the brand of Dubai Duty Free being associated with this iconic race.”
