Aidan O'Brien became the joint winning-most trainer in Investec Derby history after 13/2 shot Anthony Van Dyck provided the master of Ballydoyle with a seventh success in Britain's premier Classic and richest race.

 

Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, enjoying his first win on his 12th Derby ride, the three-year-old son of Galileo ran on gamely in the closing stages on the far-side rail to deny the Kevin Prendergast-trained Madhmoon (10/1) by a half-length.

 

Anthony Van Dyck's stable companions Japan (20/1), Broome (4/1), Sir Dragonet (11/4f), Circus Maximus (10/1) were third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

 

O'Brien joins Fred Darling, John Porter and Robert Robson as a seven-time winner of the world's greatest Flat race.

 

The Ballydoyle maestro has won the Investec Derby with Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings Of Eagles (2017) and Anthony Van Dyck (2019).

 

O'Brien said: "It's incredible, I am so delighted for everybody. I am privileged to be part of the team with everybody. The lads put so much in - John and Sue, Michael and Doreen, Derrick and Gay - they put so much in day in, day out.

"Everyone that works in Ballydoyle and Coolmore - there are so many people. If I mention everybody, I will forget but there are people from the ground right up to the riders, the people in the office, the farriers, the vets, the people that do the stables day in and day out, that do the farms. There are so many people involved that I would like to thank.

"Patrick rides this horse out all the time and does a great job, Andrew is in charge of him, Sumi, who leads him up, and John - they are incredible people. I am so privileged and delighted and grateful to them.

 

"They were all there having a chance and I knew Kevin's horse was there - I knew that Kevin would have his horse in tip-top shape and he was a very good horse. We were just hoping and we were just so delighted to be involved in that part of the race.

"Seamus gave him a great ride. This races are so competitive and so tough that, until they pass the line - as we saw yesterday, you are never sure. I am so delighted for everybody.

"Seamus has been placed for so many times. He has been working for us for so long and is such a special fellow. He has always been a world-class rider. We are so privileged to work with him and grateful every day, day in, day out. I am so delighted for him."

 

Aidan O'Brien became the joint winning-most trainer in Investec Derby history after 13/2 chance Anthony Van Dyck captured the 2019 renewal of the £1.625 million event under jockey Seamie Heffernan, enjoying his first win on his 12th Investec Derby ride.

 

O'Brien said: "It's unbelievable. I'm so delighted and privileged to be working with everybody at Ballydoyle and Coolmore day in day out - they put so much effort it.

 

"The Derby is such a tough race to win. All the way down the straight, we had a big team of horses challenging to win. We won the race, but we didn't even have the second!

 

"Seamus gave him a great ride and I'm so delighted for Seamus who has been there for a long time. He has ridden placed horses in the Derby, so it is great for him to win the race.

 

"I'm just so delighted for everyone. I know how tough a race this is. We do not put any of our Derby horses together at home. We just try to have them at their best for when they get to the racecourse.

 

"The boss [John Magnier] always says that the Derby is the Holy Grail and it is the backbone of the thoroughbred. This is the ultimate test.

 

"You don't know what horse is going to handle the track, the preliminaries, whether they will have the stamina.

 

"Anthony Van Dyck is a very solid horse. He danced every dance last year and did everything we asked of him. He ran a very good trial when winning at Lingfield. He passed all the tests to be fair to him.

 

"I'm very privileged to be a small part of a great team."

 

The three-year-old son of Galileo knuckled down gamely in the closing stages to repel the challenge of Kevin Prendergast's Madhmoon (10/1) to win Britain's premier Classic and richest race by a half-length.

 

His stable companions Japan (20/1), Broome (4/1), Sir Dragonet (11/4f) and Circus Maximus (10/1) were third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

O'Brien joins O'Brien joins Fred Darling, John Porter and Robert Robson as a seven-time winner of the world's greatest Flat race.

 

The Ballydoyle maestro has won the Investec Derby with Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings Of Eagles (2017) and Anthony Van Dyck (2019).

 

 

Seamie Heffernan, 46, added a long-awaited first win in the Investec Derby to his 2012 Investec Oaks win on Was and eight Irish Classics when bringing Anthony Van Dyck (13/2) from off the pace up the far rail to score by half a length from Madhmoon, who just got the better of three stable-mates of the winner in a blanket finish for second. It was his 12th Investec Derby ride.

 

Heffernan is the definition of a team player and his association with Aidan O'Brien, who had no fewer than seven runners this time and was winning the race for a joint-record seventh occasion, goes back so far that he was on board Anthony Van Dyck's sire Galileo when he won his 'prep' race at Leopardstown 18 years ago, although not in the Derby, the Irish Derby, or any of his other races.

 

He had been second before in the Investec Derby on Fame And Glory in 2009 and At First Sight in 2010, and there was no mistaking what it meant to him.

 

He said: "I wouldn't be able to win it if it wasn't for the firm I am with. I had to take a hold from two down, which probably helped as it's hard pushing the whole way down the straight. He's a Galileo, so I knew that he would be with me when I needed him.

"I was happy enough to be comfortable. I was following Ryan (Moore, on favourite Sir Dragonet, who finished fifth), which I thought was the big danger, but it was a big ask for him on only his third run. My lad has danced every dance and been running up the back ends of horses over seven furlongs. I am happy."

 

He added: "It means a lot as I'm into the last ten years of my riding career. I've been around plenty of Derby winners and I rode his father in a trial and won it. I've seen plenty of them and I've ridden in plenty of Derbys, so it means a lot to win it.

 

"I'm always confident riding for Aidan. It doesn't matter if they are favourite or a big price - he trains them all for the big day. Aidan trains them all for the Derby and some of them handle it and some of them don't. That's just the way horse racing is.

 

"I haven't had to take a pull going to the two pole and wait for a run in a long time, so I was confident I was going to get to them."

 

 

Wayne Lordan, third on Japan, said: "A little bit babyish on the track, but he got it together and came home well. I am delighted with him."

 

Donnacha O'Brien, fourth on Broome, said: "Ran well."

 

Ryan Moore, fifth on Sir Dragonet, said: "He ran a very good race for a horse of his experience. Hopefully he will come on for that."

 

Frankie Dettori, sixth on Circus Maximus, said: "He ran OK. He didn't really get on with the track."

 

Robert Havlin, seventh on Humanitarian, said: "He ran a nice race, I just had to help him down the hill a little bit, but when he met the rising ground he finished off well. He will come on a bundle for the run."

 

Jamie Spencer, eighth on Norway, said: "He ran well."

 

James Doyle, ninth on Line Of Duty, said: "He just flattened out. Maybe he needs easier ground."

 

Padraig Beggy, 10th on Sovereign, said: "He ran a nice race."

 

Brett Doyle, 11th on Hiroshima, said: "Good. As expected really."

 

Silvestre de Sousa, on Bangkok, said: "A bit flat."

 

Oisin Murphy, on Telecaster, said: "He ran flat."

Group 1, £1,625,000 total prize fund. Epsom Downs, 4.30pm, Saturday, June 1, 2019, 1m 4f 6y. For three-year-old colts (9st) and fillies (8st 11lb). Horses will only be eligible to run provided they have attained a BHA rating of 80 or higher. Horses who do not qualify for a rating may also be eligible providing the BHA Handicapper is satisfied that the horse's racecourse performances up to and including the day before confirmation merit a provisional assessment of 80 or more. Horses who have not run will not be eligible. Entries closed December 5, 2017, first scratchings deadline March 5 (96 remained), second entries deadline April 2 (14 second entries), second scratchings deadline noon May 21 (18 remain), five-day confirmations & £85,000 supplementary stage May 27 (13 remain & two supplementary entries, Sir Dragonet & Telecaster - 15 go forward), final declarations May 30 (13 declared runners).

 

2 (6) MADHMOON (IRE) Hamdan Al Maktoum Kevin Prendergast IRE Chris Hayes 10/1

3 (11) JAPAN Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE Wayne Lordan 20/1

4)(8) BROOME (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE

Donnacha O'Brien 4/1

5) (13) SIR DRAGONET (IRE) Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE Ryan Moore 11/4 Fav

6) (5) CIRCUS MAXIMUS (IRE) c/p Flaxman Stables/Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE Frankie Dettori 10/1

7) (9) HUMANITARIAN (USA) HH Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Racing John Gosden

Robert Havlin 33/1

8) (10) NORWAY (IRE) c/p Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE Jamie Spencer 33/1

9) (1) LINE OF DUTY (IRE) c/p Godolphin Charlie Appleby James Doyle 25/1

10) (4) SOVEREIGN (IRE) Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE Padraig Beggy 50/1

11) (3) HIROSHIMA Graham Smith-Bernal John Ryan Brett Doyle 100/1

12) (12) BANGKOK (IRE) King Power Racing Co Ltd Andrew Balding Silvestre de Sousa 9/1

13) (2) TELECASTER Castle Down Racing Hughie Morrison Oisin Murphy 5/1

 

Time: 2m 33.38s

Distances: ½, nose, sh, sh, 4½, 1¾, sh, 1, 1¼, 2¼, 1¼, 6

Tote Win: £8.30 Places: £2.70, £3.60, £5.90 Exacta: £83.70 Trifecta: £1,317.50

Breeder: Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt

Breeder: Galileo (IRE) - Believe'N'Succeed (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))