Wings of Eagles. Derby Epsom winner 2017. credit Reuters. Courtesy & with thanks The Telegraph Sports Epsom Investec Derby 2017 result: Rank outsider Wings Of Eagles pulls off shock victory

Wings of Eagles
Few people picked Wings of Eagles prior to the race  CREDIT: REUTERS

Marcus Armytage, racing correspondent, epsom Ben Bloom, (live updates) The Telegraph Sports
3 JUNE 2017 •
Aidan O’Brien winning another Investec Derby should never come as a surprise but even he appeared genuinely astounded by the identity of his sixth winner when Wings Of Eagles, a 40-1 shot ridden by journeyman jockey Padraig Beggy, swooped past his better fancied stablemate, Cliffs Of Moher, in the closing stages to win the 238th running of the Classic at Epsom yesterday.

For a trainer whose horses generally win at short odds, it was the longest priced Derby winner since Snow Knight returned a 50-1 winner in 1974. Snow Knight made all, but Wings Of Eagles came from so far behind he was only picked up by the commentator deep inside the final furlong on his way to bagging the richest race ever run in Britain.

For the first mile of the race, Wings Of Eagles, nominally fifth or sixth in the Ballydoyle pecking order for this year’s race if you take jockey bookings as your guide, only had two runners behind him.

Up front, his stablemates, Douglas Macarthur and The Anvil, Ballydoyle’s pacemakers, had set a searching gallop and, while Douglas Macarthur hung on in there until the two-furlong marker, he was eventually caught and headed by the Frankie Dettori-ridden 7-2 favourite Cracksman.

However, Dettori’s dreams of a third Derby soon evaporated as the 5-1 shot Cliffs Of Moher, having made his way from a long way back, hit the front a furlong out. At that point it appeared for all the world that, from a choice of six, Ryan Moore, Ballydoyle’s first jockey, had picked the right colt.
But behind him still picking his way through traffic from the back was Beggy on Wings Of Eagles, a son of the 2011 Derby winner, Pour Moi.

He went through one gap so quickly, recalled the jockey afterwards, that he suddenly found himself on the heels of Dubai Thunder and a couple of times his run was interrupted by having to switch him round horses coming back at him.

When Wings Of Eagles saw daylight, though, it was as if he had just joined in. He flew up the outside, making up five lengths inside the final furlong, to catch Cliffs Of Moher 50 yards from the line before going on to win by three quarters of a length, with a neck back to Cracksman in third, and three-quarters of a length to the other Frankel colt in the field, Eminent, in fourth.

Frankie Dettori on Enable (Photo:Getty)Exciting Ladies Day at Epsom with stormy weather and the Favourite beaten for good measure by a determined Frankie Dettori. One of the great events in the English Racing Calendar. Photo: Getty

Courtesy & with thanks Daily Mirror Sports. BYJACK RATHBORN

The Frankie Dettori-ridden Enable caused an upset (Photo: Getty)
Enable under Frankie Dettori upset Rhododendron to claim the Oaks at Epsom on a rain-drenched Ladies Day.

Ryan Moore could not push the odds-on favourite out and was beaten out by four lengths.
Conditions were difficult after torrential rain and thunder broke out ahead of the start with spectators forced to head for cover.

Pocket Full Of Dreams had led early as the pace setter before Rhododendron came on strong but Enable under Frankie Dettori was too strong.

Daddys Lil Darling had been pulled from the race after bolting to the start, unshipping jockey Olivier Peslier.