England: Auguste Rodin overtakes big long shot to win Derby

With a decisive turn of foot that put him into the lead eight strides from the finish, Auguste Rodin bounced back from a disappointing loss last month to win Saturday in the 244th running of the Group 1, $1,874,500 Derby at Epsom Downs in England.

It was a record-extending ninth victory in the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien and the third for jockey Ryan Moore, whose right-handed urging made a winner of Auguste Rodin (4-1 U.S., 9-2 U.K.) four weeks after being a beaten favorite in the 2,000 Guineas (G1) on soft footing at Newmarket.

Post-time favorite Arrest (3-1, 4-1), ridden by Frankie Dettori for trainers John and Thady Gosden, was washed out going to the gate and lost his right-hind shoe on his way to finishing 10th in the field of 14. A two-time winner, Dettori has said this was going to be his last Derby before retirement this fall.

The winning time was 2:33.88, the fastest for a Derby since Anthony Van Dyck won four years ago for O’Brien in 2:33.38.

Out of the Galileo dam Rhododendron, Auguste Rodin ran his record to 6: 4-1-0 with purse earnings of $1,356,006, based on Saturday’s rate of exchange. As a 2-year-old he won the Champions Juvenile (G2) in his native Ireland and the Futurity Trophy (G1) in England.

The Futurity Trophy was run at Doncaster, where O’Brien said a run in the 1 3/4-mile St. Leger on Sept. 17 was still a long-term goal for owners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Westerberg’s Georg von Opel.

“The lads had the plan for him to do the three races (Guineas, Derby and St Leger),” O’Brien told reporters after the win. “We knew the first one would be the toughest. ... Ryan gave him an incredible ride. He was so cool, and he knew the pressure was on, and he gave him such a peach of a ride.”