The remarkably long wait for another English-trained winner of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby finally came to an end as Jack Hobbs dominated Ireland’s premier classic last Saturday.

Following his excellent second to stablemate Golden Horn at Epsom, the John Gosden-trained Jack Hobbs looked the one to beat at the Curragh and he produced a performance in keeping with his position as the odds-on favourite. He trounced the Epsom third Storm The Stars by five lengths to become the first English-trained winner of the race since Commander In Chief prevailed in 1993.

An Arc de Triomphe bid is now the preferred route for Jack Hobbs and time may well show that he is a well above average winner of this race. It is worth noting that the likes of the French Derby second and Epsom Oaks heroine were among those to run last Saturday.

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The other Group 1 action at the Curragh came on Sunday where the leading Irish Oaks hopeful Diamondsandrubies landed the Sea The Stars Pretty Polly Stakes for Aidan O’Brien. A somewhat unlucky fourth in the Epsom Oaks last month, the daughter of Fasntet Rock got a fine frontrunning ride from Seamus Heffernan and she just lasted home from the unfortunate Legatissimo. Since winning the English 1000 Guineas, the latter has lost out in photo finishes – both here and in the Oaks – and she certainly deserves to get another turn at the top level.

A quality weekend’s racing at the Curragh featured a number of two-year-old performances of note. In particular it was a superb weekend for first season sire Canford Cliffs who was responsible for the Railway Stakes winner Painted Cliffs and the Grangecon Stud Stakes heroine Most Beautiful.

The latter produced a nice display to follow up her win in a decent Navan maiden in late May and she will be an interesting contender for some quality fillies events later in the year.

Elsewhere, the two-year-old maidens on Derby weekend produced three quality winners in Alice Springs, Sanus Per Aquam and Final Frontier. The first-named pair won seven-furlong maidens that have the knack of producing high-class horses for the second half of the season, while Final Frontier looked a fine prospect for Jessica Harrington in making short work of his rivals in a six-furlong maiden.