News You Can Use with Emma Berry: 2024 Derby Edition

thoroughbreddailynews

Watch News You Can Use with Emma Berry: 2024 Derby Edition - thoroughbreddailynews on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Move forward now, they're in the game, and they're off.

00:08And it's Geaon who's going to take the following clip.

00:11Geaon looks on the exit.

00:12Ruflex strikes the front, again a raw last foot.

00:15But it's Pinatubo accelerating away.

00:18And two darn hops taking off out wide.

00:20And Cracksmart begins to open right away here.

00:24Again a last foot, he's absolutely relentless.

00:30Let's now kick off a new segment here on the TDN Writer's Room Podcast.

00:34It's News You Can Use with Emma Berry, the TDN's European and International Editor.

00:39Well, check in with Emma from time to time to catch up on what's going on overseas.

00:43And this segment is brought to you each and every week by our good friends at Darley.

00:47So, Emma, thanks for joining us. This would be a welcome addition to our podcast.

00:51Obviously, we want to talk about the Epsom Darby coming up this weekend.

00:55And how are things shaping up for the Ballydoyle team?

00:58And what does it say that City of Troy is still the favorite after that very poor race in the 2000 Guineas?

01:05Yeah, it's everyone's guess as to how he's going to show up on Saturday.

01:11He's actually drifted quite a bit in the market today, funnily enough.

01:15And his stable mate, Los Angeles, is now almost co-favorite with him.

01:20But amazingly, since the Guineas, just for a short while after that,

01:24he was toppled from the top of the Darby market where he was all winter.

01:28And then he went almost straight back up there.

01:30So everyone has faith, it would seem, that Aidan O'Brien can pull off another magic trick like last year,

01:36when we saw August Rodin bomb out in the Guineas and then come back and win the Darby really impressively.

01:43So I think we're hoping for a second miracle.

01:46So, Emma, there was so much hype about City of Troy.

01:49I know part of it probably had to do with his pedigree being by Justify.

01:54But Aidan O'Brien threw quite a lot of gasoline on that hype fire with his comments about City of Troy.

02:00Has he given any sort of credible, tangible explanation for the 2000 Guineas flop?

02:08Any excuses that could hold water?

02:12I mean, various excuses straight after the race to do with him hitting the gates.

02:18He went in very late in the Guineas and he hit the stalls just before they jumped.

02:23So that was sort of an initial excuse.

02:26But nothing really tangible, I would say.

02:29There was a press morning a few weeks ago at Bally Doyle.

02:32I was there.

02:33And, you know, he elaborated that they feel that they now know, you know, what was wrong with him,

02:41but without actually specifying.

02:43And certainly they, you know, he looked great that morning.

02:46They appeared to be happy with him since the 2000 Guineas

02:51and actually have released a video just in the last hour or so on social media showing him having a piece of work this morning

02:56with the stable mate looking to go really nicely.

02:59So, no, not a specific, we found, you know, he scoped badly or anything like that.

03:05But there certainly seems to be confidence within the camp that they've got to the bottom of him.

03:10And, you know, Aidan O'Brien's runners this year have, they seem to have all needed the run.

03:17He went straight to the Guineas without a run, which is the usual practice for his Guineas runners.

03:22But, you know, they, a lot of his trial horses as well have been, you know, perhaps running a little bit below standard.

03:31So, you know, perhaps, I mean, we can but hope that that, you know,

03:35the old saying used to be that the 2000 Guineas was the best derby trial.

03:39I mean, I guess we'll see if that is indeed the case.

03:43I'm not buying it. And I was all over him like a rash going into the Guineas.

03:48I'm all out. I am all over. Ambiente friendly.

03:52And I want you to tell us all about that and his gallop over the lime kilns.

03:56And then another horse, Ancient Wisdom, who I think is going to love the going,

03:59because it's been raining cats and dogs over there, has it not?

04:03Yeah, completely sick of all this rain.

04:06It looks like it's going to be drying up a little bit.

04:09It's, you know, a real changeable forecast as well.

04:12So my guess is that it will probably be on the easy side for Friday and Saturday, but hopefully not a bog.

04:22Ancient Wisdom, yes, would cope with that.

04:26He was a group one winner last year and he's done nothing wrong other than be beaten by a very good horse in the Dante Stakes

04:34just a fortnight ago. And that's Economics, who sadly isn't coming to the Derby.

04:38He's almost the horse that's impressed me most of all the horse of the three year old colt,

04:42certainly in Britain I've seen this year. But he's quite a big, long striding horse.

04:46And they, William Haggis, his trainer just felt that Epsom with its sort of trickiness,

04:51the camber and all the up and down would come too soon for a horse that's really still growing into his frame.

04:56He's not coming, sadly, but he was the sixth winner of the Dante.

05:01So, you know, Ancient Wisdom chased him home. And again, that was his first run of the year.

05:06So hopefully we'll have brought him forward. And Ambiente Friendly, oh God, I'd really love to see him go well.

05:12James Fanshawe, I think, is one of the most underrated trainers in Britain.

05:17He's trained every type of horse you can imagine from champion sprinters to champion hurdlers.

05:21He's had a Breeders' Cup winner. He has yet to train a British Classic winner,

05:25which is extraordinary, really, considering he's so accomplished and that, you know,

05:30there's a real growing sense of anticipation and excitement. Ambiente Friendly's owner, Bill Gredley, is 91.

05:37He's had lots and lots of good horses in training, but he too would dearly love a Derby winner.

05:43And the horse looked really good on Sunday morning.

05:45You know, James Fanshawe isn't the type of trainer who comes out sort of with bold predictions.

05:51He's very cautious. And I know he seems to me to be quietly optimistic.

05:58You know, he's very happy with what he saw on Sunday morning. The horse seems nice and relaxed.

06:02And, you know, being well in the next, he looks great as well. You know, he's a lovely, strong colt.

06:08I think there's a little bit of quiet confidence behind him for Saturday.

06:13Well, Emma, back to the Derby for just a second. Setting City of Troy aside,

06:18since we really don't know exactly what we're going to get from him.

06:21How evenly matched does the rest of the field look to you?

06:24And since long shots have been, have had a lot of success in this race recently,

06:28are there any maybe that people can keep an eye on?

06:32There are almost too many to keep an eye on. I think every, you know, almost of the,

06:37more of the sort of outsiders for the field.

06:39We've had a lot of comments in the last few weeks of their trainers and connections saying,

06:44if ever we're going to have a go, it's this year. You know, it does seem an open race.

06:50I really like Voyage, who's coming in with a very unexposed profile, if you like.

06:55He's only raced once. That has been done before.

06:58Morstan, in I think 1974, 73, won the Derby after running just once.

07:05He's trained by Richard Hannan, who had the first and second in the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday.

07:11He won really nicely, his maiden at Newbury, which is, it's always a very good maiden.

07:16He's by the 2015 Derby winner, Golden Horn.

07:20And he just looks to have a really nice profile, bar his relative racing and experience.

07:26He was at Epsom last week for a spin around the course.

07:30They had a gallops morning and four of the Derby horses were there.

07:33And he's a kind of neat, cold, very well balanced.

07:36And I think he could spring a bit of a surprise at a big price.

07:40And Dallas Starr as well, coming over from Ireland. I like his profile too.

07:45He's also in double figures and I think he's a horse that's perhaps slipping a bit beneath the radar.

07:51Well, Emma Berry, thanks so much. A very enlightening conversation about the Epsom Derby.

07:56We'll be watching this Saturday.

07:58And we look forward to having you again as a part of our team here on the Writers' Room podcast.

08:03Great to be involved. Thanks very much.

08:06Darley's Knight of Thunder continues his fine run of success this season.

08:10His classic contender, Economics, was the runaway winner of the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York,

08:17while his daughter, Fairy Godmother, landed Ireland's first juvenile group contest of the year for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

08:24Last Friday at Haydock, Electric Storm became the latest winner for Knight of Thunder,

08:30who is a proven son of the absolutely brilliant Dabawi.

08:35And just like his sire, Knight of Thunder's progeny are effective in the U.S. too.

08:40At Churchill Downs, his three-year-old daughter, Dynamic Pricing, won the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes for Chad Brown

08:46and looks like a filly with a very bright future.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended