June 30, 2003	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 29,1424

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DUBLIN, June 29: Alamshar won the Irish Derby by half-a-length from favourite Dalakhani at The Curragh on Sunday to end the French Derby winner’s unbeaten record and deliver a home victory for jockey Johnny Murtagh and trainer John Oxx.

Alamshar, who was third in the Epsom Derby, and Dalakhani, unbeaten in six outings before Sunday’s race, were left to battle it out as the furious pace left the field trailing with the two horses running neck-and-neck two furlongs from home.

But Murtagh, wearing the green and red silks of the Aga Khan, rode an almost perfect race as Alamshar, the 4-1 second favourite, proved the stronger. Dalakhani, 7-4 odds-on favourite finished second with Roosevelt, a 150-1 outsider, third.

“It was just pure magic,” said Murtagh, who raised his arms in triumph in front of the grandstand. “He (Dalakhani) might be king of France but he’s on our turf now,” he told the BBC.

Alamshar’s victory, achieved by the same Oxx-Murtagh combination that won the race with Sinndar in 2000, gave the Aga Khan his fifth Irish Derby triumph and brought him level with the number of successes enjoyed by his grandfather.—Reuters