Bemused. That was the reaction of most after Saturday's Hibernia Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. First of all bemused at the result, secondly at the way it had come about.
The bald facts are that the David Loder-trained Desert Prince beat Godolphin's Fa-Eq by three lengths, with the odds-on Second Empire only third. That, however, only tells a fraction of the story.
Second Empire went into Saturday's classic with an awesome reputation. The best of Ballydoyle's A-Team, favourite for the Epsom Derby. Sure there were concerns that a layoff with a muscle injury would leave him short of absolute peak fitness but those concerns were evidently not enough to stop him being backed from 5 to 4 to 4 to 5.
One bookmaker estimated Second Empire's owner, Michael Tabor, had almost £150,000 on the rails alone. Peak fitness or no peak fitness, Second Empire was fancied to win, which makes what happened all the more remarkable.
Christy Roche has had a wonderfully successful career, highlighted by the ability to get it right when it really counts in the big races. Secreto in the Epsom Derby, St Jovite and Desert King in the Irish Derby. They are just a sample of an illustrious roll of honour, which only magnifies the clanger he appeared to drop on Second Empire on Saturday.
The pacemaker Untold Story gave Olivier Peslier on Desert Prince a lead in the early stages, but the French jockey must have been amazed by the start given to him by the four other riders. Roche, Frankie Dettori on Fa-Eq and Michael Kinane on Two-Twenty-Two were six lengths off the winner at half way but it was Second Empire's effort which grabbed the eye.
He had appeared to pull in the early stages but, after being checked in one run, he then cruised through to track the front runners, despite the start given them. That he then didn't pick them up was a surprise but even more so was Roche's decision to stand up in the irons inside the final furlong, despite which Second Empire only missed second by a length.
The stewards held an inquiry and noted the explanations of Roche and trainer Aidan O'Brien. Roche told the stewards he felt sure Second Empire would win between the three and two furlong marks, but that the colt got tired and would not have got any closer had he been harder on him. O'Brien said he was satisfied with Roche's ride, which ultimately is all any rider can want.
However, there was a widespread belief on Saturday that Roche, with even the minimum of effort, should at least have got second on Second Empire. That belief provoked Roche into reiterating his position yesterday. "I don't think I would have improved my position if I had been harder on the horse. He was near enough to win if good enough. He just got tired," said the champion jockey.
In one sense, Saturday's race echoed King Of King's defeat by Lady Alexander last season when Roche's tender handling was first damned and then praised. Roche was vindicated then, but this looks different. Second Empire appeared to get a badly-judged ride, nothing else.
Significantly O'Brien yesterday declared the Epsom Derby as still "definitely an option", but added: "I would advise anyone to back him with a run, as we are lucky enough to have other useful colts. I'm not blaming anyone for what happened on Saturday. These things happen."
William Hill make Second Empire their 7 to 4 Epsom Derby favourite with a run, and the colt's part owner John Magnier commented: "All you really want with a horse like this is win the Derby."
Neither Desert Prince or Fa-Eq will be going to Epsom. Instead they will meet again in the St James's Palace Stakes, where Frankie Dettori is confident the placings will be reversed. On Saturday, though, David Loder had the air of a man on whom good fortune had all landed on the one day. In fact, he looked as bemused as the rest of us.
