Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien collected his 17th Irish Derby success after Lambourn had to dig deep to bring up a unique classic double of winning the English and Irish Derby after landing the Irish equivalent at the Curragh on Sunday.

After blasting around Epsom in splendid isolation three weeks ago, Lambourn was sent off a heavily backed 8-13 favourite – the second odds-on shot in the race since 2017 – but supporters who waded in at such odds did not have a comfortable experience as Gavin Ryan, onboard his 28-1 stablemate, threatened to drag Ryan Moore into a ferocious battle up the Curragh straight.

The horse found plenty under Ryan Moore’s driving inside the final half a mile to provide the Ballydoyle master with a record extending 17th victory and third straight success in the race.

“He's just so laid-back, I can't tell you," said O'Brien. "Ryan gave him a lovely, uncomplicated, straightforward ride. He knew him to a tee from winning on him at Chester and everything Wayne [Lordan] told him.

“He’s a lovely horse. He’s so relaxed, and the horse coming with him [Sir Dinadan] was only going to help him, and you can see he was pricking his ears all the way up the straight. I knew Ryan would be very happy about that as he would have been delighted to have company and would love to get into a battle.

“He has that personality, that attitude, it's like everything in life when sports people have that attitude and he's that straightforward, genuine and just does whatever you want for you, whenever he can.

"He's like his dad, if you put him in first gear, he stays in first gear; if you put him in third gear, he’ll stay in third gear. He's not influenced by anything around him but always wants to please and never overdo himself."

The world of racing has been mourning the loss of legendary trainer and head of a major racing dynasty, Barry Hills who passed away at the age of 88 at the weekend.

He won four of the five British Classics at least once, although the Derby famously eluded him despite the efforts of Rheingold, Hawaiian Sound, Glacial Storm and Blue Stag, all of whom finished second at Epsom.

Hills was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2005 and had his voicebox removed three years later, eventually handing over the training licence to son Charlie in 2011.

Through the tragic circumstances of the death of his eldest son John from cancer in 2014, Barry made a return to the training ranks moving up from the role of assistant and sending out another 34 winners in the next two years.

The Lambourn based trainer sent out more than 3,200 winners during a career spanning more than 40 years.

Among the highlights of a remarkable training career must surely be Rheingold’s victory in the 1973 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with the late Lester Piggott aboard.

By Peter Moore