Westover destroys the Irish Derby field

The homebred son of Frankel was unstoppable at the Curragh.

Taken from The Racing Post, 25th June 2022, by David Jennings:

Unfortunate at Epsom, unstoppable at the Curragh. Westover became the most emphatic Irish Derby winner for 15 years when he routed his seven rivals by seven lengths under a typically uncomplicated Colin Keane ride. He was relentless, this was a done deal from a long way out. Keane did what Keane does best. He was always in the right place at the right time and let the horse do the talking. Westover never shut up and a mouthwatering rematch with his Epsom conqueror Desert Crown could now be on the cards in the King George next month.

Keane said: "Rob [Hornby] told me that he'd get the trip well and will even stay further. He told me not to be afraid to use him up because the one thing he'll do is get to the line, and Ralph [Beckett] said the same. He told me to get him rolling and that he'd stay going."

Westover certainly did stay going and the further he went, the better he looked. This was a fourth Classic for Beckett, but a first with a colt, and what a special colt he has on his hands.

Beckett said: "Colin was positive on him from the outset and took the bull by the horns. Rob spoke to him earlier today and encouraged him to ride him that way. It’s important that you go out with your boots on in these occasions and Colin certainly did that today. I really didn’t think he would win like that at this stage. He’s a big horse and still a work in progress. He’s going to get better with age."

After Westover's Curragh romp, Beckett added: "I never felt he was going to stop when he got into his stride. He has a great temperament and that shone through today. The track suits him and it’s wonderful to get it done. It’s a big day for us. He’s going to develop from three to four, never mind through the rest of the year you would think. We’ll discuss it with the family and everybody to see what we do next. It depends how he comes out of today. He’s in the King George and that would certainly be an option."

Wondering what Westover might do next is what excites us most. He is now generally a single-figure price for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – although Coral and Ladbrokes are offering 10-1 – and he is 5-2 favourite for the St Leger three weeks earlier with BoyleSports. The same firm make him 7-2 to exact revenge on Desert Crown in the King George.

Westover might have been unlucky not to finish closer at Epsom but at the Curragh luck never entered the equation. He was in a different class. As was his rider, who tried to put the magnitude of the occasion into words. "Every jockey will say that the Epsom Derby is the race they'd like to win the most, but the Irish Derby would be the next best," said Keane. "It's great to win a home Derby. It's unbelievable."

Unbelievable, yet believable. It was only a matter of time before Keane won an Irish Derby and this, you sense, will be the first of many.