Growth in Godolphin’s Derby bid at Epsom but ending title drought will take time

Wings Of Eagles, with Padraig Beggy (pink cap) on board, won the English Derby at Epsom on Saturday, June 3, 2017. Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

When little-known Derby-winning jockey Padraig Beggy was quizzed as to what made Aidan O'Brien such a good trainer after Wings Of Eagles won the English Derby at Epsom on Saturday, one of his key reasons was that every year the master of Ballydoyle got horses to Britain's biggest flat race.

Ever since O’Brien had his first Derby runners in 1998 he has had at least one representative, and even had eight in 2007.

His backers, the Coolmore syndicate, long ago decided that the Derby is the most important race in the world for them, and that is why O’Brien has won the race six times from 73 Derby runners.

You have to be in it to win it.

It naturally follows that if O’Brien has won the Derby, he also wins the Irish Derby, which is staged around a month later and is a race he has won 11 times.

He will have a strong hand on July 1, as Wings Of Eagles is likely to head to the Curragh.

It is O’Brien’s selection and maintenance of the aim that has kept him at the forefront of the Derby picture, as well as his access to some of the greatest bloodlines from Galileo and other sires at Coolmore.

Success in the Derby at Epsom continues to elude Godolphin.

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The operation’s remit is to contest the best races around the world, however, of which the Derby is just one.

Godolphin have had 10 runners in the Kentucky Derby in America without success, also.

Godolphin have now run 33 horses in the Derby.

They have come fairly close with City Honours and Rule Of Law both finishing second in 1998 and 2004 respectively.

Jack Hobbs, who was also part-owned by another syndicate, wore the royal blue to second behind Golden Horn in 2015.

It is a notable achievement for John Ferguson – he was put in place in December 2015 as chief executive officer and racing manager – and Saeed bin Suroor that for the first time since 2014 the Newmarket trainer had runners at Epsom, and it was also the first time for 17 years that Bin Suroor fielded more than two runners.

On Saturday, Benbatl finished fifth, Best Solution eighth and Dubai Thunder 11th and at no stage other than before the gates opened did any of the trio look like they might win.

Godolphin also have clearly made great strides in France, where yesterday they had three runners in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly won in the dying strides by Al Shaqab’s Brametot under jockey Cristian Demuro.

Bay Of Poets, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, was seventh, while Appleby’s second string, D’bai, ridden James Doyle, was 10th.

Soleil Marin, trained by Andre Fabre and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, was 11th.

At no point had Godolphin fielded three runners in the intervening period since Shamardal became their only winner when trained by Bin Suroor in 2005.

It stands to reason that the more horses you run in the biggest races in the world the more chance you have of winning.

Godolphin clearly understand this, and they took great strides forward this weekend with the number of runners in English and French Derbys.

The quantity is there. Now perhaps they need a bit more quality.

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