Ruler Of The World triumphs in the Investec Derby

Ruler Of The World seals another stunning Epsom day for trainer Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore team. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

Another memorable Investec Derby Day for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who won both QIPCO British Champions Series races for the second year running.

After St Nicholas Abbey’s third successive triumph in the Investec Coronation Cup, he saddled five horses in the Investec Derby and Ruler Of The World emerged triumphant.

In a messy race due primarily to the slow early pace, there were several hard-luck stories.

Top of that list was Dawn Approach’s depressing effort.

The slow early pace soon saw him pulling his jockey’s arms out as he refused to settle.

Used to a fast pace over a mile, the writing was on the wall for him after a furlong and by half-way, the hot favourite had pulled himself to the front.

That was short-lived as he soon dropped away to finish a remote last. We won’t see him over a mile and a half again, that’s for sure.

While he lost his glittering unbeaten record, which he had stamped with a scintillating victory in the opening Series race, the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Ruler Of The World maintained his.

Held up towards the rear of the field, Ryan Moore brought him with a perfectly-timed challenge to win by a length and a half.

It was three-out-of-three for the son of Galileo, who was O’Brien’s first Derby winner in 2001, yet he only made his racecourse debut on 7 April in a Curragh maiden. 

Ruler Of The World followed that with victory in the Chester Vase. He has come a long way in a very short space of time.

Britain’s main hope, Libertarian, flew home for second place – he would surely have been closer with a faster early pace – with Galileo Rock in third and one of the winner’s stable companions, Battle Of Marengo, in fourth. Two short heads separated those three.

Ocovango, who was hampered, was fifth for France’s champion trainer, Andre Fabre, while another of the O’Brien quintet, Mars, was a luckless sixth having been stopped in his run at a crucial point. Otherwise he would have been a lot closer.

O’Brien said: "We’re just so lucky, we get these incredibly-bred horses and even before they are mated the dream is for this to happen.

"The owners understand the game so much, they are given all the information and usually come up with a plan and we try and carry it out.

"All the jockeys had their own plan and all the horses were doing their own thing and that is just the way it ended up.

"This horse was impressive at Chester and won like a very good horse.

"It’s incredible, we’re very privileged to be in the position we are."