Auguste Rodin Favoured At Irish Derby Instead Of St Leger

James Mackie | @JMackieRacing

Auguste Rodin

Epsom Derby winner Auguste Rodin will likely next head to the Curragh for the Irish Derby and is unlikely to go to Doncaster for the St Leger with one of his owners Michael Tabor outlining his plans for his superstar.

A horse with a superb pedigree related to the multiple Group One winner Magical, he started his career off when second over 7f at the Curragh behind Crypto Force.

Seen three more times since that run he has gone unbeaten landing a Maiden at Naas in July and off the back of that went to Leopardstown and took the Group Two Champions Juvenile Stakes.

Last seen as a juvenile on heavy ground at Doncaster in the Group One Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes over a mile he made a mockery of the field to land the event by close to four lengths.

Back this season and first aimed at the Group One 2000 Guineas, it all went wrong when getting banged in running and on the heavy ground he ran no race.

However, after a master training performance by Aidan O'Brien, he returned to full form in the Epsom Derby when stepped up in trip to take Derby under a superb ride by Ryan Moore.

With the Triple Crown outlined at the start of the season for this horse, having lost in the 2000 Guineas it seems that dream is over and instead of going up further in trip for the St Leger, he now looks to be heading to the Irish Derby.

(Credit ATR) Tabor said: “It was really good. It was what we obviously hoped for. We thought he could do it and he did. We are all delighted, naturally. It was one of the great days.

“I would say he’ll go to the Irish Derby. I haven’t discussed it, but it’s common sense to say he definitely goes to the Irish Derby. Then we’ll bring him back in trip – a mile and a quarter – for some of those races.

“He won’t go to the St Leger.

“In my mind, that Triple Crown dream is over. A St Leger horse is not what we are looking for, once he can’t do a Triple Crown.”

Tabor added: “It is a long way before the end of the year. We’ll see how he is. It could be the Arc, but the ground could be against him, although he won on soft as a two-year-old.

“We’ve even got the Breeders’ Cup as an option on the turf. We’ll see how he goes and have those discussions, I’m sure.”