O’Brien’s Sovereign foils Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in Irish Derby
THE CURRAGH, Ireland (AFP) — Sovereign supplied trainer Aidan O’Brien with his 13th Irish Derby on Saturday, July 29 in a huge upset with the 33-1 outsider turning the tables on 5-4 favourite Anthony Van Dyck .
Sovereign had finished a well-beaten 10th of 13 behind Anthony Van Dyck in the Epsom Derby three weeks ago.
But, ridden by Padraig Beggy, he got the better of his more illustrious stablemate in style, leading into the straight in the Curragh classic to hold off Anthony Van Dyck by six lengths.
Norway, at 16-1, gave O’Brien a 1-2-3 in a race in which the master Irish trainer fielded five of the seven runners.
Madhmoon, who was hoping to go one better after finishing runner-up to Anthony Van Dyck at Epsom, came in fourth.
For Beggy it was a case of lightning striking twice as he had landed the Epsom Derby in 2018 on O’Brien’s 40-1 outsider Wings of Eagles.
Anthony Van Dyck was trying to become the fifth O’Brien-trained three-year-old to land the Epsom-Irish Derby double.