Betfred Derby: Camelot on brink of coming of age as a stallion?

Will it be a proven sire or a first timer who claims the Betfred Derby honours at Epsom on Saturday?  

Galileo, Sea The Stars and already have at least one Derby winner to their name and could add to their tally but eight stallions yet to sire the winner of the premier Classic - Justify , Camelot, Gleneagles, Dubawi, Golden Horn, Cloth Of Stars, Anodin, Wootton Bassett and Awtaad – have prospects of achieving their first. 

Coolmore sires are well represented and, like last year, it is a horse that could prove exceptionally powerful as a future stallion that heads their list of hopefuls.  

In 2023, Ballydoyle, Coolmore and bloodstock enthusiasts all over the globe were celebrating the perfect union of east and west. 

Auguste Rodin had landed the Derby, proving the genius of Aidan O’Brien to get the horse back from his flop in the 2000 Guineas. However, more pivotal for Coolmore, this championed the bringing together of the late great Japanese sensation Deep Impact with a Ballydoyle Irish-bred stalwart in Rhododendron. A fabulous fusion of bloodlines not too dissimilar to what might come of City Of Troy should he come back from his own disappointing run in the 2000 Guineas. 

This is a colt with an an international melting pot of a pedigree – by a US Triple crown winner in Justify and out of another Ballydoyle darling in Together Forever. City Of Troy has the standout pedigree in the Derby field, his dam a Group One winner who herself tackled an Oaks in 2015 but got fairly unbalanced on the track and didn’t quite look to stay the stamina test. 

Together Forever has produced horses who do stay, with City Of Troy’s brother – now named Unbelievable in Hong Kong - holding his own at middle distance trips.   

We have heard all the superlatives over City Of Troy and the quotes from the Ballydoyle camp would be some of the boldest we have heard. 

Much has been made of the height of City Of Troy, so much so that Aidan O’Brien, his trainer, measured him live in a press event at Ballydoyle. As my friend and colleague Jane Mangan commented on Nick Luck Daily in response to this, “It’s more the height of his ability that concerns me”.  

It might be that the potential stallion offerings of City Of Troy are so precious to his connections that reinforcing his size will keep potential breeders, especially in America on side. The size of a stallion is more potent to American breeders. This horse needs to look the part but those looks need to be matched by a sizeable performance on the track. 

But despite the keen concern to flatter City Of Troy and his ability, whether it’s for his future stallion prospects at Coolmore or not, it is clear that his connections can sit happy with the somewhat relatively old guard stallions that now make up the backbone of the Fethard operation.  

Standing at a very respectable 16.0hh (1.62m) is the 2012 Derby winner CAMELOT, who later in that that season came close to achieving the Triple Crown. CAMELOT retired to stud in 2013 and has been a steadily successful sire – an Irish Derby victory with Latrobe, an Irish Oaks with Even So and multiple group One winner Luxembourg flying his flag in recent years. His progeny has had notable success in Australia, where he shuttled to in 2014 and globally  he has had 11 individual Group winners.  

A champion at two and three showing precocity, speed and versatility over trips, CAMELOT has always had the ingredients to be a knockout stallion but he has struggled to make his presence felt in leading stallions lists, failing to ever make the top 10 leading sires in Europe or Britain/Ireland by way of prize money, winners or black type.  

Camelot’s best year to date was in 2019 thanks to such as Sir Dragonet, Pink Dogwood and Hunting Horn. It was a memorable Derby weekend for the sire with Pink Dogwood second and beaten a neck in The Oaks and Sir Dragonet, Camelot’s first Derby runner sent off 11/4 favourite and beaten just ¾ lengths fifth in a blanket finish behind Anthony Van Dyck. A year later, impressive Lingfield Derby Trial winner English King finished fifth to Serpentine. Since then, only Youthful Spirit (eighth to Adayar in 2021) has represented him in the race. 

Camelot returned a 156-strong book of mares in 2020 thanks to the two Irish Classic winners in Latrobe and Even So. By 2022, Camelot had a stud fee of €75,000 with more international success that year through Santa Barbara’s memorable victories in the Belmont Oaks and Beverley D. Stakes. 

Those three years have been fundamental to Camelot and this has been borne out in the three-year-olds that represent him on the ground in 2024. Despite three years without a Derby contender, this year has a different feel for Camelot with four horses representing him, the most of any sire on show in the race. Los Angeles, Dancing Gemini, Deira Mile and Tabletalk are all sons of his. 

From a betting perspective, LOS ANGELES tops Camelot’s chances of a Derby victory. Unbeaten in three starts, including the Derby Trial at Leopardstown, Los Angeles is out of the unraced Dansili mare Frequential who has successfully visited Camelot on two occasions, producing two stakes performers in Be Happy and Hector De Maris.  

Los Angeles looks to be by far the best of her progeny to date, a Group One victory at two and a hard-fought sole victory at three from just three starts giving him every chance of improving past his rivals on Saturday. He possesses a high cruising speed and looks ready for the stamina test. He showed plenty of staying power when landing his latest Leopardstown victory.  

One of the feelgood stories of this Derby is that Roger Teal will saddle DANCING GEMINI. The popular Lambourn trainer would not have had the same opportunities as Aidan O’Brien to find a Derby contender but with this horse he may have landed on one of the most exciting middle-distance prospects in Europe. 

It would be a major success for the owner breeders too as this is the first foal of Mr & Mrs David Fish Australia mare Lady Adelaide. Rated 77 when she finished off racing with Roger Charlton, Lady Adelaide was no superstar herself but boasts plenty of middle-distance performers on her dam side and significantly her sire Australia was a memorable Derby winner himself. 

As of yet, Australia hasn’t been overly tested as a damsire but has gifted his progeny an abundance of stamina as well as being hardy, game types which are typified in sons of Galileo. This Camelot/Australia combination has produced DANCING GEMINI who has already proven his classic ability with a superb runner-up effort in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. 

This gave Camelot his best position in a colts’ Guineas.  Lady Adelaide has already outdone herself by producing this Classic runner-up but there is no doubt DANCING GEMINI holds an exciting chance of giving his owner/breeders and trainer their first Derby success.  

Another Camelot in the mix is one hoping to punch above his sale price weight. DEIRA MILE was purchased for 47,000gns by Federico Barberini/Ahmad Alshaikh for Green Team Racing at Tattersalls December Yearling Sale in 2022. 

Bred by Churchtown House Stud, his dam Fastnet Mist ran credibly at pattern level which included a second in the Listed Garnet Stakes at Naas in 2014. The third foal of the mare would be DEIRA MILE and following a very impressive Windsor novice victory in April he will head to the Derby as another lively outsider for Green Team. Coincidently, he happens to be Green Team’s second Derby runner by Camelot and out of a Fastnet Rock mare following Youth Sprit who finish eighth in the race in 2021.  

Camelot has a fourth contender in the twice-raced TABLETALK, a 100/1 outsider. 

The Tom Clover-trained three-year-old cost just 24,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2 in 2022.  The price is no surprise based on a relatively light pedigree. His dam DILLYDALLYDO was an unraced daughter of Holy Roman Emperor. Her family has a strong emphasis on stamina with middle distance and hurdle performer Drill Sergeant a close relative. 

TABLETALK kicked off his three-year-old career with a commanding performance in a maiden at Chelmsford. That was enough to persuade connections to supplement him for the Derby. He may be a massive price but there will be no forgetting King Of Steel’s mighty run at 66/1 in the Derby last year. In an open Derby, any of these contenders deserves a shot at the race.  

A Derby victory would almost certainly catapult Camelot into the top 10 sire lists, which has alluded him up to now. He certainly isn’t lacking Derby success across the continent with a Deutches Derby via SAMMARCO, a South Australian Derby with RUSSIAN CAMELOT and an Irish Derby with LATROBE.  

A Derby victory or not, the outlook certainly does look bright for the stallion with strength amongst his fillies including recent French Group Two winner PENSEE DU JOUR and impressive Middleton Stakes winner BLUESTOCKING who looks a Group One winner in waiting this year.  

Of note to watch is an unraced three-year-old filly VANILLA, in training with Aidan O’Brien and owned by Mrs Ben Sangster and Mrs John Magnier. She is a sister to Luxembourg and holds major entries this summer, including the Irish Oaks. Luxembourg himself will look to have another profitable summer with Friday’s Coronation Cup next on his agenda.  

It has been a strong stallion career for Camelot so far – his own racing career still outshines the success of his progeny on the track. This weekend could change that with four contenders out to add a momentous chapter in his story as a stallion. I’m hoping Dancing Gemini will be the one who rises to the challenge.