The Curragh provided an assault of the senses on Saturday as Hurricane Lane delivered a supercharged shot of emotion in winning the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.
Still some way adrift of the breakaway leader Lone Eagle with a couple of furlongs left to race, the eye was drawn to the blue bullet rattling down the outer in that big, expansive straight, and there was an urgency to the roar of the 1,000 spectators lucky enough to be in attendance with every passing stride.
Just a neck separated Hurricane Lane from Lone Eagle at the line, with a further seven lengths back to Wordsworth in third as the winner completed a memorable Derby double for Appleby, who also struck gold at Epsom with Adayar.
But this was the day of reckoning for Hurricane Lane, and boy did he deliver after finishing third to his stablemate three weeks ago.
Irish Derby: full result and race replay
Appleby, fast becoming a man known for his ability to harvest the world’s richest races, was winning his first Irish Derby. He was also providing Britain with just its second win in the race since 1993, that other victory coming courtesy of Jack Hobbs, who also sported the Godolphin blue when kicking clear of the field under Buick in 2015 for John Gosden.
But this was to be no cakewalk for Hurricane Lane as he lowered his head and chomped down Lone Eagle’s lead, in doing so delivering on all of the promise Appleby felt his colt was blessed with heading into the winter.
“It was one of those winters where dreams were free, thankfully,” Appleby said, with all the emotion of a man who had just won a couple of bob on a scratchcard and not the €1 million Irish Derby.
“We went into the winter knowing that we had nice three-year-olds. We were hopeful and they haven’t let us down so far. It’s been a great season and without the team behind me, none of this would be possible. I’m delighted for everybody.”
Buick was also delighted. For the majority of the race it seemed like the day, like countless others in this Flat season and many more, would belong to Frankie Dettori. But Buick never doubted Hurricane Lane.
“Frankie got loose on the front and he wasn’t stopping,” the rider admitted. “But once my horse switched into gear I knew we were in business.
“Although it was only a neck, I did think inside the final furlong that I was always going to get there. He’s a very genuine horse and, credit to Charlie and the team at home, he was the most improved horse since Epsom.
Expert jury: How far can Hurricane Lane go after his Irish Derby triumph?
“He’s a very good winner. He showed a turn of foot from where he came from to mow down the long-time leader.”
There may have been several furlongs of anxiety for Appleby and his team to endure but the trainer wore them well in his post-race debrief.
Talking about how the race unfolded, he said: “Coming down the hill we saw him come under the pump a little bit but once he met the rising ground I was confident that he would gallop on strongly to the line.
“I was happy enough with how things were going at halfway. Even coming down the hill, when he came off the bridle, we’d seen that before. He came off the bridle when he won the Dante.”
Appleby added: “I’ll be honest, though, I thought Frankie had stolen it. He kicked his horse in the belly and the horse found plenty. I thought he’d be hard to catch. I wouldn’t say I was confident that we were going to get there but I knew our horse would stay on well to the line.
When it was suggested that Hurricane Lane looks every inch a St Leger horse, Appleby said: “He does, for sure. It would be a lovely race to win. Adayar will head to the King George and we will probably sit tight and see how he gets on there.
“The reason we are sending Adayar to the King George is because we want to test his mettle against the older horses with a view towards finding out if he is an Arc horse or not. If things don’t go to plan there, he could come back to taking on the three-year-olds, and run in the St Leger as well.”
“100 per cent it’s a dream but most importantly it’s great for Sheikh Mohammed and the team at Godolphin. I can only thank them for the horses I have been given to train. The team I have behind me are brilliant. I’d love to sit here and say I do it all on my own but that’s not the case.”
Read more from Saturday’s action:
Northumberland Plate: Quirky but talented Nicholas T fulfils Goldie’s Newcastle master plan
Newcastle: Chil Chil too hot for handicaps now and could head to July Cup
Newmarket: Training legend Clive Brittain back on the July course to honour his late wife
Windsor: Old favourite Century Dream lands Listed spoils for team Crisford
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