The win was made more remarkable as the jockey had originally been scheduled to ride John Leeper but was jocked off when twice winner Frankie Dettori was without a ride.
This switch in horses turned out to be a fortuitous one for Kirby as his original ride John Leeper was never in contention.
Although Adayar was fortunate after a slight stumble at the start of the race, once he passed Ben Curtis’ Gear Up on the inside, Adayar had a free run to the post, giving Charlie Appleby his second Derby winner, after Masar in 2018.
The race favourite Bolshoi Ballet @ 11/8 had a poor run ridden by R L Moore and finished unplaced in 7th. Kirby said after the race about losing his original mount: “I just thought ‘don’t be bitter, be better’, and it’s worked out great.
“There are ups and downs, there are swings and roundabouts, but I can’t thank Charlie Appleby enough. He is a true gentleman and a great trainer. The Appleby team are second to none.
“I’ve always said I’d rather win a Derby than be champion jockey. I think it’s the greatest race.” Trainer Charlie Appleby paid tribute to Kirby and explained that the jockey knew the horse well, saying: “We saw the trials and tribulations in the build-up, but I’m delighted for Adam, it was a fantastic ride,”
“It’s something that every jockey wants to achieve, and he was hungry for it. Adam probably knows this horse better than most – he broke him in.”
It is not of course the first time that Kirby has rode a horse that has beaten expectations and defied the odds.
He rode 150-1 outsider Nando Parrado to victory in last year’s Royal Ascot, becoming the highest-priced winner of the race at Ascot since the race started in 1768. His first win at the prestigious meet since he claimed a Group One double with Profitable and My Dream Boat four year earlier.
2021 Epsom Derby race results
- 1ST Adayar Adam Kirby 16-1
- 2nd Mojo Star David Egan 50-1
- 3rd Hurricane Lane William Buick 6-1
- 4th Mac Swiney K J Manning 8-1
- 5th Third Realm Andrea Atzeni 14-1
- 6th One Ruler James Doyle 17-2
- 7th Bolshoi Ballet R L Moore 11-8
- 8th Youth Spirit Tom Marquand 25-1
- 9th John Leeper Frankie Dettori 8-1
- 10th Gear up Ben Curtis 50-1
Although Frankie Dettori had a disappointing race in the Derby, a race he had won twice (in 2007 with Authorized and 2015 with Golden Horn), he won the Oaks with Snowfall a day earlier, his sixth victory in the race in emphatic style.
In wet conditions, Dettori rode the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse to victory by a record sixteen lengths, smashing the previous record of twelve lengths set in 1983 by Sun Princess. The win gave Dettori his 40th British Classic win.
