Wings of Eagles is ‘joint-lowest rated Epsom Derby winner this century’

Saturday's shock 40-1 Epsom Derby winner, Wings of Eagles, is rated the joint-lowest winner of racing's "Blue-Riband" race since the turn of the millennium.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt has been given an official rating of 119, the same as Ballydoyle’s 2013 derby hero Ruler of the World after he won at Epsom.

It is an 11lb hike on the mark Wings of Eagles ran off at the weekend, but the new figure still puts him 3lb behind Brametot, Sunday’s French Derby winner.

“Brametot got his 122 for winning the French Guineas over a mile and probably ran to the high teens on Sunday when not much went right for him but he still won.

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“Wings of Eagles is the joint-lowest rated Derby winner this century, the same as Ruler of the World, and as of now I’ve little doubt about Brametot being above him in the pecking order,” said Ireland’s senior handicapper Garry O’Gorman on Tuesday.

Wings of Eagles is likely to line up next in the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Derby, where the form of both the English and French derbies could be put to the test.

Andre Fabre's Waldgeist was just touched off by Brametot at Chantilly and is a joint 3-1 second favourite with Wings of Eagles for the Curragh classic. The Epsom third, Cracksman, tops the betting at 9-4.

“You would think a horse who won a Group One over 10 furlongs as a two-year-old like Waldgeist did can only improve for a mile and a half at the Curragh,” said O’Gorman. “He looks to have the potential to go close at the Curragh.”

Another potential Irish Derby contender is Joseph O’Brien’s Ballysax winner Rekindling, which failed to fire at Epsom on Saturday.

“Wayne [Lordan] said he didn’t handle the track at all. He said he felt very unbalanced, especially when he stated running downhill,” O’Brien reported.

“That’s the way it goes, and these are the joys of Epsom. I’m not sure if he’ll go for the Irish Derby. We’ll make a plan later in the week but the Curragh would probably suit him,” he added.