Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby
Group 1, Curragh 16:10
€1,250,000 guaranteed,
3yo only, 1m, 4f   
Sunday 29th June 2025

QuinnBet

1 Lambourn 8/13F
2 Serious Contender 28/1
3 Lazy Griff 14/1
10 ran Distances: ¾l, 2¼l, nk
Time: 2m 29.18s (fast by 3.72s)

Another chapter added to the Ballydoyle tome in the Irish Derby, and once again it’s Aidan O’Brien with pen in hand. Lambourn became the 20th horse to complete the Epsom–Curragh double, repelling a spirited late rattle from Serious Contender in a race where team tactics and raw talent collided over every yard.

Sent off the 8-13 favourite, Lambourn had Ryan Moore doing his best Wayne Lordan impression from Epsom — straight to the front, keep it simple. But simplicity is rarely afforded in the heat of Classic battle. Ralph Beckett’s second-string Sir Dinadan was having none of it, eyeballing the Derby winner down the back and refusing to roll over.

It meant Moore had to ask questions of Lambourn sooner than ideal, stoking the colt up turning in. Sir Dinadan gave way soon after, but lurking with ominous intent came Serious Contender — Gavin Ryan aboard, white face looming large, looking every inch the danger.

For a few strides, you could sense it — the possibility of an upset. But Moore knows this colt well, and when the question was fully asked, Lambourn responded. Willing, genuine, and with that touch of class etched into his pedigree. A final-furlong duel settled by three-quarters of a length, his name now etched alongside sire Australia and grandsire Galileo — both of whom achieved the same Anglo-Irish double.

Behind the Ballydoyle pair, it was Lazy Griff — second at Epsom and keeping on gamely again — who claimed third at 14-1.

“He’s straightforward and stays well,” said O’Brien, as ever measured in tone but quietly glowing. “Ryan didn’t mind company — it keeps the horse honest. He’s a bit lazy, bit laid-back, and you saw that up the straight. He was waiting a bit, ears pricked, but that’s just him.”

The King George? The Arc? Both remain on the radar.

As for Serious Contender, O’Brien reflected on a missed opportunity at Ascot. “We protected him for a handicap, thought he couldn’t be beat — and then along came a King George entry to turn us over. Racing has a way of humbling you.”

But not today. Today was Lambourn’s day. And Ballydoyle’s, again.

Ryan Moore is the first jockey ever to win the Irish Derby three years in a row—Auguste Rodin (2023), Los Angeles (2024), and Lambourn (2025).

FormRatings

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1)
€1,250,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f, Class 1
10 ran
Going: Good

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (5)    Lambourn 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 8/13F
2 (1) ¾ Serious Contender 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Gavin Ryan 28/1
3 (4) 2¼ Lazy Griff 3 9-2 Charlie Johnston William Buick 14/1
4 (10) nk Tennessee Stud 3 9-2 Joseph O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle 6/1
5 (2) nk Sir Dinadan 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett Richard Kingscote 40/1
6 (6) nse Green Impact 3 9-2 Mrs John Harrington Shane Foley 12/1
7 (3) ¾ Thrice 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Declan McDonogh 80/1
8 (9) 2¾ Shackleton 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Ronan Whelan 50/1
9 (7) 6½ Puppet Master 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 11/1
10 (8) 6½ Pride Of Arras 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 8/1