Harzand, who had been a doubtful runner in the morning after an injury scare, has pounded his way to glory in the Derby, staying on dourly to resist the late challenge of US Army Ranger. This is a first victory in the race for the trainer Dermot Weld and the jockey Pat Smullen, while it was also a triumph for Irish racing, which provided the first three home.
“He’s the greatest trainer in the world,” Smullen said of Weld while still mounted, soon after crossing the line. “I heard Ryan [Moore] coming, I saw the white face of US Army Ranger. But he dug in.”
An inch of rain this week produced ideal conditions for Harzand, who needs some cut underfoot. It was only on Thursday that he was confirmed as an intended runner and he was nearly withdrawn 48 hours later when he was found to have lost a shoe, so that one of his front feet required icing.
In this big field, US Army Ranger and Wings Of Desire, who stayed on to be fourth behind the third-placed Idaho, were undoubtedly inconvenienced by the way the race unfolded. Both were to the rear in the early stages and made up masses of ground in order to be involved in the finish.
US Army Ranger’s defeat saves the bookmakers a drubbing, as he was long fancied for this race and was well backed in the final hour before it to start as the 7-2 favourite. But Harzand was one of the best-backed in the race, being sent off at 13-2 after being 20-1 earlier in the week.
