Godolphin’s Jack Hobbs has bright future but focus is on the present at Irish Derby

Jack Hobbs will start the Irish Derby as favourite on Saturday night. Alan Crowhurst / Getty

It is easy to dream of the future in horse racing, but connections of Jack Hobbs are in danger of ignoring the present ahead of the Godolphin colt’s run in the Irish Derby at the Curragh on Saturday night.

Jack Hobbs lines up as the favourite in the 150th running of the Classic, a race that Aidan O’Brien has won on eight of the past nine occasions and an extraordinary 11 times in all.

With four entries, the Irish trainer has a strong hand once again, too.

Winning in the backyard of the Irish operation would be of huge significance for Godolphin, who have not won the race since Hilal Ibrahim sent over Balanchine to triumph in 1994.

Godolphin were beaten in to second by Coolmore both in the English 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, and at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes and in the Norfolk Stakes.

This could be a gilt-edged opportunity of clawing one back.

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The overriding sentiment from connections after Jack Hobbs had finished second in the Derby at Epsom three weeks ago ahead of Sheikh Juma bin Dalmook’s Storm The Stars, who also runs under Pat Cosgrave, was one great satisfaction.

In what proved to be the third fastest time in the 236-year history of the Derby, Jack Hobbs was a clear second best behind Golden Horn.

It was a fine effort and bloodstock adviser John Ferguson afterwards used the words “thrilled” and “delighted” to describe the run, and suggested that in time Jack Hobbs could develop in to an international flag-bearer for the Dubai-based operation.

William Buick rode Jack Hobbs for the first time at Epsom, and again on Wednesday in a final piece of work. He sang from the same hymn sheet.

“It has all come very quickly for Jack Hobbs and he will be a lovely horse in time,” he said. “You would have to look forward to him for the rest of his career. He will be a nice horse.”

As a son of international campaigner Halling, Jack Hobbs may not be the finished article for another two years. He is a big, rangy individual and whatever he does this season could well just be a foundation for better things.

This week, however, Godolphin were reminded of how fragile thoroughbreds can be when their talented sprinter Lighting Moon, lodged with Ed Walker in Newmarket, was ruled out for much of the rest of the season with a setback.

Sometimes it is the here and now that matters more.

Despite his obvious claims after chasing home stablemate Golden Horn twice in six weeks, Jack Hobbs remains merely an impressive winner of a handicap race at Sandown in April.

Jack Hobbs faces a stern test from the home team. Much like Jack Hobbs, O’Brien’s colts have taken time to come to hand, so long in fact that they missed their intended date of running at the top of their game in the Derby.

Many of O’Brien’s horses were not right early in the year, which had a concertina effect on his Derby horses. Ol’ Man River and John F Kennedy could not produce their best for a myriad reasons and are likely to stay in training next year and do not take part.

Derby fourth Giovanni Canaletto is another who is a work in progress and will be ridden by Joseph O’Brien, while Kilamanjaro might not be good enough under Seamie Heffernan.

Highland Reel was campaigned in France in their 2,000 Guineas and Derby without success, but as he will be ridden by Ryan Moore he is considered the stable first string. Qualify, who won the English Oaks under Saturday night’s rider Colm O’Donoghue, is improving rapidly.

This will be no drop kick for Jack Hobbs, but it is surely the easiest opportunity that he will have of securing a European Classic. It will almost certainly be his last, too.

In an interview on the Godolphin website this week part-owner Rachel Hood, wife of trainer John, quoted Charlie Whittingham, the American trainer, in order to underline her mixture of excitement and anxiety: “Horses are like strawberries. They spoil real easy.”

At least somebody is keeping their eye on the present.

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