Aidan O’Brien’s stranglehold on the Irish Derby continued yesterday when Treasure Beach lead home stable companions Seville and Memphis Tennessee to provide a Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in the Dubai Duty Free sponsored Classic. Treasure Beach, ridden by Colm O’Donoghue confirmed the promise of his Epsom Derby run and has risen rapidly up the Ballydoyle pecking order since winning a nursery handicap at the Galway Festival last year. Aidan O’Brien, winning his sixth consecutive Irish Derby commented; “Treasure Beach has progressed with every run and he has a few options now – he could go for the Grand Prix De Paris, the King George or else he could have a break before coming back for the second half of the season.”

For jockey Colm O’Donoghue, the win was a career highlight with the 30 year old, from Buttevant, Co Cork saying; “I’ve been riding out in Ballydoyle since I was 15 and I’m very grateful to the owners for the opportunities. It’s a feeling of relief more than anything else as I had been placed in the race a number of times. I was confident coming here as I learned more about the horse after Epsom. I won a French Guineas before but this means an awful lot to me.” Treasure Beach, bred by Ashley House Stud and bought as a yearling by Camas Park Stud continues the remarkable record of Coolmore stallion Galileo; he has now sired twenty two individual Group 1 winners and has sired five European Classic winners this year. Galileo is also the sire of Saturdays Group 1 Stobart Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes winner Misty For Me. The four time Group 1 winner made all the running under Seamie Heffernan and she quickened impressively to beat Midday by six lengths. Misty For Me, won the Irish 1,000 Guineas last month and she looks top class over ten furlongs. She is out of the Storm Cat mare Butterfly Cove who is a half sister to Fasliyev.