Duke of Marmalade 下場跑愛爾蘭冠軍錦標
DUKE OF MARMALADE and Derby hero New Approach are set to meet once again in the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes next month after the former ruled supreme in the Juddmonte Internationalat Newmarket.
The rescheduled clash of the generations spiced up what may have otherwise been a low-key afternoon at the course, and Duke Of Marmalade was brilliant as he scooped up his fifth Group 1 win of the season.
The King George winner was dropping back to a mile and a quarter under Johnny Murtagh, and there was no doubt of the regard in which he is held after his three-quarter-length success over the luckless Phoenix Tower.
His stablemate Red Rock Canyon towed the field through the early stages as Duke Of Marmalade sat handy, with New Approach pulling hard on his return from injury.
Jim Bolger's Classic winner was never in a position to challenge once the race began in earnest and had to settle for third.
O'Brien, winning his 18th Group 1 of the summer, said: "He is so special that you wonder if he is flesh and blood. If horses were made out of concrete and stone he would be made out of something harder.
"He had a very messy week as he came to England, spent a couple of hours here and then flew back.
"I was nervous as I wasn't sure what would happen, but it is a credit to those people who made it happen and it just shows what can happen when people get together.
"He is just one of those very special horses, and you can see that yourself.
"He will never win too far, which is probably to his advantage.
"If all is well with him the plan will be to go Leopardstown with him in two weeks for the Irish Champion Stakes." Murtagh added: "I had to wait an extra couple of days for it but it turned out to be a great race.
"He is so solid, so genuine and always turns up the same.
"His work is good, his temperament is good and when he turns up at the races you can guarantee he is going to put upa performance like that.
"I got a lovely run up the inside and got there sooner than I wanted to be. But I knew that when I asked for maximum effort that he would pull it out for me up the hill."
Bolger said of New Approach: "He's beaten but definitely not battered. He ran a good race and is obviously on the way back.
"We'll regroup and I'm sure you'll see a different horse in two weeks' time, I'm not using the ground as an excuse.
"It will be Leopardstown next for the Irish Champion Stakes."
William Hill trimmed Duke Of Marmalade into 4-5 from even money for the rematch, while New Approach is out to 100-30.
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