By Tom Frary
Staged in the relentless drizzle and mirk that arrived with vicious timing to dampen Derby day, Saturday's G1 Coolmore Coronation Cup came down to survival of the fittest with Victorious Forever's Bay City Roller (New Bay) overwhelming his rivals for a 10-length victory.
With the 5-4 favourite Calandagan (Gleneagles) unable to raise a leg and Ballydoyle's leading hope Jan Brueghel (Galileo) struggling from the outset in ever-worsening conditions, it was left to Oisin Murphy to enjoy an armchair ride around Epsom on the four-year-old who had already proven his love of such ground.
Once the eventually pulled-up Illinois (Galileo) and his stablemate Lambourn (Australia) were spent, the 17-2 shot who had been steered away from the far rail as per the norm powered to the line as the only runner able to post a respectable time. Jan Brueghel managed to get second without ever threatening, in the end 5 1/2 lengths clear of Lambourn with Calandagan beaten a total of 41 1/2 lengths in fourth.
“This is a flagship race that we all grew up watching, it's a great idea to bring it to Derby day so to win it is amazing, an out-of-body experience,” trainer George Scott said. “I've always hoped that one day we'd turn up at the races and the weather would be so horrible that people didn't want to get out of their cars, as that is when Bay City Roller comes into his own! He's a consummate professional, a freak of a horse. He just goes and does his job, trains hard every day, relishes his racing and I'm so pleased he was able to show his quality today.”
This contest immediately proceeded the win of Sparks Fly down the fresh ground on the far rail to break rank and while the remainder stayed down there entering the straight, Murphy opted to move towards the stands as virtually every rider had done since the start of racing here on Friday. By the time he had reached the two pole, it was clear that Bay City Roller was in command marooned up the centre of the track and by the line had demolished a cast of rivals totally unsuited to the test this ultimately became.
Scott revealed that following the previous race, there had been a brief discussion about tactics. “That mare was the best in her race and was a complete one-off and when Oisin asked what we should do I said to stick to the plan and go stand's side,” he revealed. “They always do here when it rains but he was much the best horse on the day, regardless of where he went.”
A regular runner throughout the summer last term, Bay City Roller had put up some respectable efforts without adding to his Champagne Stakes success as a juvenile and it was not until he encountered genuine soft ground in Munich's Preis von Bayern in November that he was able to demonstrate his raw material. Beaten by Lambourn in Chester's Huxley Stakes and by Almaqam in The Curragh's Tattersalls Gold Cup, he was back in his comfort zone here and understandably his plans hinge on ground conditions from here on.
“He's a hard horse to give a break to, as he tears the whole place down and gets very fresh and although fundamentally we'll work back from the Arc if it wasn't summer ground you'd consider having him ready for the King George in case,” he said. “He won't run on summer ground in a King George and ultimately all roads will lead to the autumn. I think he's just been running well at a mile and a quarter because he's a top-class horse, but a mile and a half on soft ground is his bread and butter and the Arc is his race.”
Murphy added, “I thought it was amazing from the horse and the stable that he was able to come here in such good form after running a previous career-best at The Curragh just 13 days ago. I'd been sent videos of him at home between then and now and he was bucking, which was extraordinary. In the race he was push-button, which he always is. He's a great example of the stallion.”
Francis Graffard cut a dejected figure after Calandagan's first heavy defeat. “Obviously, I made a mistake running him,” he said. “I've never seen him blow so much after a race. I walked the course at the end of the morning and it's changed a lot since then. It was a messy race and horses were all over the straight. I'm upset for my horse, but hopefully he comes out well and we'll regroup.”
“Mickael looked after him in the straight and he'll go for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and then the King George again,” he added. “Mentally, he'll be upset as he was ready to compete but on this testing ground it didn't work out. It's frustratin,g but it will be the last time he meets that ground.”
Aidan O'Brien said of Jan Brueghel and Lambourn, “They ran very well. The winner loves soft ground and obviously it's tough ground out there now. They both get a mile and a half well obviously, but when conditions turn like that you have to be a bit of a specialist.”
Wow!
causes quite a stir in the Coolmore Coronation Cup at Epsom ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/4b97ExBSWm
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Bay City Roller's dam is the Vintage Tipple and Noblesse winner and dual Group 3-placed Bloomfield (Teofilo), who is also responsible for the dual Listed-placed Botanical (Lope De Vega). She is a granddaughter of Rahaam (Secreto), dam of the Coventry-winning sire Verglas and the King's Stand winner and July Cup runner-up Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge), whose triple Group 1-winning daughter Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) produced Galileo's luminaries Rhododendron and Magical.
Connected to a host of high-class runners including the Derby hero Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact), Bloomfield's unraced three-year-old filly Blooming Rose (Blue Point) was a €850,000 purchase by Agrolexica International Trading at the 2024 Goffs Orby Book 1, while her two-year-old colt Rogue River by the same sire cost Resolute Bloodstock €675,000 at the latest edition of that auction.
Saturday, Epsom, Britain
COOLMORE CORONATION CUP-G1, £1,000,000, Epsom, 6-6, 4yo/up, 12f 6yT, 2:40.08, sf.
1–BAY CITY ROLLER (IRE), 128, c, 4, by New Bay (GB)
1st Dam: Bloomfield (Ire) (MSW & MGSP-Ire), by Teofilo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ramona (GB), by Desert King (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
(€320,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Victorious Forever; B-John Connaughton; T-George Scott; J-Oisin Murphy. £560,200. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ger, G1SP-Ire & MGSP-Fr, 13-5-6-0, $1,286,443. *1/2 to Botanical (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), MSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Jan Brueghel (Ire), 128, h, 5, Galileo (Ire)–Devoted To You (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). TDN Rising Star. O-Westerberg, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Barronstown Stud; T-Aidan O'Brien. £213,300.
3–Lambourn (Ire), 128, c, 4, Australia (GB)–Gossamer Wings, by Scat Daddy. O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien. £106,800.
Margins: 10, 5HF, 26. Odds: 8.50, 2.25, 6.50.
Also Ran: Calandagan (Ire), Convergent (Ire), Illinois (Ire).
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