The atmosphere was more nervous than excited, Tattenham Corner train station was shuttered and the famous Hill was half-empty at best as this lunchtime Derby got under way. But there was a welcome air of familiarity about the winning trainer as Auguste Rodin crossed the line two and a half minutes later, extending Aidan O’Brien’s record to nine successes in all while also giving the Coolmore syndicate which backs his stable a 10th Derby win.
That total too is an all-time record across the Derby’s 243-year history, and both marks will, in all likelihood, be further extended in the years ahead. Galileo, Coolmore’s uber-stallion over the last two decades, died in July 2021, but the Stud retains its gift for both breeding and buying potential Classic winners, as Auguste Rodin’s victory proved.
