RACING:THE TAG "Triple Crown Winner" may contain more significance in America than on this side of the pond but the possibility of hanging it around Camelot's neck this year appears to be increasingly more alluring to the all-powerful Coolmore team after their star's gritty Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby triumph at the Curragh on Saturday evening.
In a field reduced to just five runners, and on ground more Irish Grand National than Irish Derby, Camelot didn’t exhibit the same flamboyance as when winning at Epsom four weeks previously but conditions hardly lent themselves to extravagance.
Instead the unbeaten three-year-old superstar slogged to a two-length defeat of Born To Sea, with Light Heavy nine lengths back in third, probably contributing in the process to the lingering “best-of-an-ordinary-lot” theory that appears to surround 2012’s three-year-old crop.
That Camelot has beaten just a couple of other Group One winners in his career so far will fuel the sceptics, and not even the completion of a first English Triple Crown in 42 years at Doncaster in September will discourage them either, probably.
Until he meets, and beats, older horses, Camelot supporters will have to cope with such scepticism but the danger of dismissing a single outstanding talent for beating all that can be put in front of him is considerable.
It is 35 years since the American Triple Crown hero Seattle Slew was described as “best of an ordinary lot”, and he didn’t turn out too shabby, re-emerging as a four-year-old to twice beat another Triple Crown winner in Affirmed.
The chances of Camelot racing on into 2013 are slim to none, considering his stud value after the death of his sire Montjeu earlier this year but he is already as low as 2 to 1 favourite for October’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and will always hold a special place in Ballydoyle history.
Thanks to him, Aidan O’Brien completed a magnificent Irish Derby seven-in-a-row on Saturday, securing a 10th victory in the race overall, thus becoming the most successful trainer in Irish Classic history with 28 wins.
Afterwards he commented on the statue of the last English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky that is at one side of the entrance to the world-famous Ballydoyle training establishment and how a similar statue of another Triple Crown winner 42 years later might be nicely symmetrical.
Yesterday O’Brien confirmed the Leger is foremost in his thoughts for Camelot and all but ruled out a mouth-watering clash with Frankel in next month’s Juddmonte International at York.
“He travels strong in his races and if you were to go a mile and a quarter, it might be very hard to get him back to a mile and six. I don’t think it would be fair to him. The race doesn’t look an ideal prep for the Leger,” he said.
“He seems fine today, ate up and is in good form,” added O’Brien.
Saturday’s race emphasised how Camelot’s career trajectory so far mirrors Nijinsky who also won the English Guineas and Derby before adding the Irish Derby to his CV. Saturday’s victory saw the modern star become the 16th horse to complete the Epsom-Curragh Derby double.
But instead of going on to the King George, Camelot will be given a break before heading to the Leger for which he is as low as 1 to 5 with some bookmakers.
Imperial Monarch was taken out of the Derby by O’Brien just hours before the race due to ground conditions, along with Dermot Weld’s Speaking Of Which, and could appear next in 12 days time in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.
A crowd of 23,211 attended the first Saturday evening Irish Derby, up about 500 on last year, and the Curragh manager Paul Hensey believes situating Ireland’s premier Classic as the last race on the card is here to stay.
“My recommendation would be that we stick to the same plan for next year. Considering the weather, I think the concept was a big success and when you have a significant change like this, it sometimes takes a year or two to really build up,” he said.
“Down the line I think it will gather momentum and become a fixture in people’s diaries,” added Hensey.
