A total of 138 hopefuls go forward for the 230th running of the £1.25 million Derby, staged this year at Epsom Downs on Saturday, 6 June, with a whole host of proven and potential stars pointed towards racing’s most coveted prize after this week’s first scratchings deadline.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore team won the Derby in 2001 with Galileo, now Europe’s champion stallion, and a year later with High Chaparral and they boast a formidable squad going into the 2009 race.
O’Brien accounts for no less than 36 of those in this year’s premier Classic, many of whom have already shown form at the highest level including dual Group One scorer Mastercraftsman, Group Three Tyros Stakes winner Rip Van Winkle, and Westphalia, whose year was completed with second spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita after winning the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
Fame And Glory, Drumbeat and Age Of Aquarius - respectively first, second and fourth in last season’s Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud - are also engaged along with the Group Two-placed Grand Ducal, Beresford Stakes third Masterofthehorse and Racing Post Trophy fourth Set Sail.
Black Bear Island, Freemantle, Golden Sword, Indian Ocean, Liszt, Malibu Bay and Sirgarfieldsobers, a full-brother to 2007 Derby hero Authorized, were all impressive maiden winners with great potential.
There is a particularly strong entry of 51 from Ireland with Jim Bolger, successful in the 2008 Derby with New Approach, accounting for six representatives including the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes winner Intense Focus and the highly-regarded Gan Amhras.
Trainer John Oxx, who won the 2000 Derby with Sinndar, has a five-strong entry that includes Beresford Stakes winner Sea The Stars, a half-brother to Galileo, and runner-up Mourayan as well as Group Two Futurity Stakes victor Arazan.
The domestic team includes Group One Racing Post Trophy hero Crowded House, trained by Brian Meehan, the Marcus Tregoning-trained Taameer and Lingfield maiden winner Sans Frontieres, who could bid to give leading jump owner Sir Robert Ogden a flat success at the highest level. The Galileo colt cost 450,000 guineas as a yearling and is in training with Jeremy Noseda.
‘It’s obviously early days but we have kept Sans Frontieres in the Derby and hopefully he will reappear at the Craven meeting at Newmarket in mid April,’ said Ogden’s racing manager Barry Simpson.
‘He had entries in some of the leading juvenile races last season but we decided not to run him because of the ground. There seemed little point in running him on soft ground at that point of the season and we decided to wait with him.
‘The form of his Lingfield maiden didn’t work out particularly well but he won despite everything going wrong for him. I think that is the sign of a reasonable horse and he’s pleased us enough over the winter.
‘We have always thought that he was a decent horse and he has been given time to develop. The plan is to see how he gets on at Newmarket and then see where we can go from there.’
Although Ogden is best known for his jump exploits, he has owned two previous Derby runners in Majestic Maharaj, who finished 14th in the 1978 race, and Florida Son, who came 18th four years later. Both horses were trained by Jack Hanson.
This could be an exciting year on the racecourse for the Queen, who is represented in next week’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup by Barbers Shop. She also owns a leading Oaks candidate in Enlightenment and two colts with live Derby hopes in Free Agent, winner of the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Autumn Stakes third Four Winds.
The Godolphin stable has nine entries including several new recruits such as Kite Wood, winner of the Group Three Autumn Stakes when with Michael Jarvis, La De Two, who was formerly trained by Barry Hills and Racing Post Trophy third Skanky Biscuit, who has been recruited from Brian Meehan’s stable. Emirates Champion, a Great Leighs maiden winner last year, and the unraced $2.9 million purchase My Vision are among Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor’s other entries.
This year’s Derby has a strong international feel with five French-trained entries, the Italian-trained Maimonides and three from Rashid Bouresly’s Middle-East stable adding further interest.
The 138 horses going forward amount to 13 more than at this stage last year. All of the three-year-olds announced today were entered in the 2009 Derby as yearlings and there is a second £8,000 entry stage on April 7 as well as a final £75,000 supplementary entry opportunity five days before the race on June 1.
