There were some very familiar names on the board on Italian Derby Day at Capannelle on Sunday with the day’s feature being won by a son of Westbury Stud's Reliable Man (GB).
On the undercard, the €200,200 Group II Legale E Professiona was won by Helmet’s 4yo son Cantocorale, while the Group III Premio Carlo D’Alessio went to Fastnet Rocks son Atzeco from the Epaulette gelding Neileta.
Two runners stood out in the €640,200 Group II Premio Derby Italiano (2200m), Reliable Man’s Ardakan, and Tempesti a son of the Deep Impact stallion Albert Dock (JPN).
And that’s the order they finished. Making their runs together down the centre of the track, Tempesti clearly headed Ardakan and looked set for a comfortable win. However, Tempesti began to shorten stride while Clement Lecoeuvre never gave up on the rallying Ardakan.
The Markus Klug-trained son of Reliable Man (GB) defeated Tempesti by a neck with The Gurkha colt Frozen Day a further three and a quarter lengths back in third.
The winner of the Group III Premio Berardelli in Rome in his third and final start at two, Ardakan was three-quarters of a length behind the Frankel colt Martel in the Listed Prix de l'Avre at Longchamp at his 2022 debut on May 5.
Bred by Gestut Rottgen, Ardakan is a €40,000 graduate of the Baden Baden Yearling Sale.
He is a half-brother to the Listed Mülheim Diana Trial winner Alaskaonne out of the stakes-winning Sternkönig mare Alaskakonigin.
Ardakan is one of 19 black-type winners for Reliable Man (GB) who stands at Westbury Stud in 2022 at a reduced fee of $16,000.
