Frozen Fire powers home to land trainer O'Brien third Irish Derby in a row

Late flourish: Seamus Hefferman and Frozen Fire land The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby

Yet if the build-up to the Epsom Derby earlier this month was made controversial by Jim Bolger  procrastinating over whether to run eventual winner New Approach, yesterday’s Irish one was no less dramatic.

Firstly, Bolger announced in the morning that New Approach’s bid for a Derby double had been cruelly dashed by a foot injury. Then it emerged that Moore, rider of the new favourite, Sir Michael Stoute’s Tartan Bearer, had been fined 1000euros by stewards for clashing aggressively with two security personnel who refused him entry to the course because he had failed to show proper accreditation.

With New Approach ruled out, all eyes were on Moore and Epsom runner-up Tartan Bearer, and, for a fleeting few moments in the straight it looked like the pair were ready to give their backers a run for their money.

But suddenly Alessandro Volta, one of five O’Brien hopefuls, who had taken up the running two furlongs out, veered sharply left after being spooked entering the final furlong and his rider Johnny Murtagh could not prevent him carrying Tartan Bearer into no-man’s land.

It was left to Ballydoyle’s largely unsung hero Seamus Heffernan to switch Frozen Fire widest of all and he swept home by two lengths from Casual Conquest with Alessandro Volta a short head back in third.

Tartan Bearer was fourth but a stewards’ inquiry reversed the placings with Alessandro Volta, although the stewards surprisingly took no action against Murtagh, whose colt’s wayward antics did no favours to fifth-placed Curtain Call, who vindicated Luca Cumani’s faith in him.

Stoute, who could not hide his disappointment, said: ‘He was carried halfway across the track. He (Alessandro Volta) pushed on and on to us and that didn’t help.’

If O’Brien had scripted team tactics, they could not have worked better, but this was just one of racing’s many cruel twists — as Bolger can testify.

Referring to Alessandro Volta, O’Brien said: ‘He just saw the stand and would never have had to race into a crowd like that before and got stage fright.’

For O’Brien and his Coolmore masters success is becoming all too frequent.

The win gave them their 11th Group One of 2008 and after waltzing away with six races at Royal Ascot — four of them Group Ones — O’Brien’s sixth Irish Derby matched the deeds of his namesake, Vincent O’Brien.

The trainer added: ‘The Epsom Derby was a little bit messy in the middle of the race. He (Frozen Fire) was one of those horses that got dropped back a long way. Mick Kinane came in and said this is a very good horse and said ignore the run.’

Hills introduced Frozen Fire into the betting for Ascot’s King George VI at 10-1 with Tartan Bearer eased from 5-1 to 7s behind O’Brien’s Duke of Marmalade, who was cut from 9-4 to 6-4.

Is there any stopping Ballydoyle? Bolger and Moore were both left wondering what might have been.