Beleive n Succeed rings true in the Epsom Derby

Two former Kavanagh Racing mares, Believe n Succeed and Atlantic Jewel, stamped their ground in the Northern Hemisphere overnight.

Investec Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck is the son of 2008 Blue Diamond Prelude Winner, Believe N Succeed. Mark Kavanagh who purchased and trained the mare was delighted to see her doing so well as a broodmare.

“I liked her as soon as I saw her (as a yearling), said Kavanagh. “I rang a client and said I’ve found the one, he said well if you think she’s the one let’s get her, we have to believe to succeed he said.

“She was by Exceed and Excel who I had a shine on at the time. It was a pretty good American family and she looked a real runner.”

Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, Anthony Van Dyck was positioned midfield coming down the straight. Heffernan forced to switch right to challenge at the 400m. Once again encountering traffic problems, Heffernan switched left entering the last 200m and quickened up the inside rail to score by half a length. It was a very exciting finish.

Atlantic Jewel also had her first winner, a 3YO colt named Pacific Ocean at Navan. He’s the second son of the multiple Group 1 winning mare; the first Yulong Dragon (formally Empireofthedragon), is unraced. Both by Galileo. Pacific Ocean’s breakthrough came at start four.

Both horses are trained by Aiden O’Brien and owned by Coolmore.

O’Brien indicated that the Irish Derby would be the most likely aim for Anthony Van Dyck, who came to Epsom off the back of winning the Listed Derby Trial at Lingfield.

The horse was also top-class as a juvenile, winning his maiden by eight lengths, following up with an impressive victory in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes and justifying favouritism in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes. He went on to finish second in the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and third in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

Anthony Van Dyck’s Epsom Derby success makes the January arrival of a Galileo colt foal out of Believe’N’Succeed all the more exciting, as does her immediate return to the champion sire.

Kavanagh Racing has trained many good mares that have gone on to be standout broodmares, a credit to the stable and how they look after them throughout their racing life.