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The Curragh :They say that winners keep on winning and in the case of trainer Aidan O'Brien, that maxim is certainly true.
The Irish supremo won his sixth Irish Derby yesterday, with his charge Frozen Fire, who beat five horses who had bettered him in the Epsom Derby, in the race's 143rd running and the first sponsored by Dubai Duty Free.
After his sparkling Royal Ascot showing, O'Brien has now equalled the Irish Derby record of his now-retired namesake Dr Vincent O'Brien and won a record third consecutive race at the Curragh.
And it was a day for records. O'Brien's second-choice jockey, Seamus Heffernan, relegated to the ride on Frozen Fire after No 1 Johnny Murtagh plumped for Alessandro Volta won his second Irish Derby in a row after storming to victory in 2007 aboard Soldier of Fortune.
Indeed it proved prophetic before the race when he told press: "I have second-pick in Ireland behind Johnny and sometimes it doesn't always go the way we think."
Words ring true
And on Sunday his words carried the ring of truth. All the talk before the off was of Epsom Derby runner-up Tartan Bearer after the winner, New Approach, who had been on track to do a Derby double, was forced to withdraw with a bruised foot.
But Tartan Bearer, trained by Sir Michael Stoute with Ryan Moore on board was given third following a stewards' enquiry while Casual Conquest took second for Dermot Weld and jockey Pat Smullen and Murtagh was consigned to fourth with Alessandro Volta.
"It's unbelievable," said O'Brien after the race. "It has been great for everybody. Seamus is a great fella and rode a great race. He's a great judge of a horse and understands tactics so well."
The race was led off by another O'Brien charge, Hindu Kush, while the rest of the field waited for their moment. Alessandro Volta, Tartan Bearer made the running into the straight before Murtagh's ride veered to the left and Frozen Fire finished like a train from out wide to win by two lengths.
One of the winning owners, Mike Tabor, saluted his jockey but said he did not think Frozen Fire's success was too much of a surprise.
"Johnny chose Alessandro Volta, so you could say that he was the No 1 but Frozen Fire is not a big surprise if you saw him in the Dante Stakes at York."
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