Supplemented Golden Horn, Success Days bring Epsom Derby
field up to 15
The Anthony Oppenheimer-owned colt entered Derby reckoning with a decisive 2
Golden Horn is one of two unbeaten colts in Britain’s
The second supplementary entry is Irish challenger Success Days (Jeremy), who has landed two of Ireland’s leading Derby trials
Zawraq (Shamardal), the 9-2 second choice in Coral’s market, is the other unbeaten colt in the
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There are a total of six Irish-trained contenders going forward for the Derby, now worth £1,434,000 after the supplementary entries.
Aidan O’Brien, who
has triumphed in the Derby for the last three years and five times in
total, has left in three contenders — Chester Vase (Eng-G3) scorer Hans
Holbein (Montjeu); Giovanni Canaletto (Galileo), who was runner-up in the
Gallinule S. (Ire-G3) at the Curragh on May 24; and Kilimanjaro (High
Chaparral), winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial.
O’Brien’s dual Guineas hero Gleneagles (Galileo) was officially removed from
the picture at Monday’s stage, with the Coolmore brain trust preferring to keep
him at a mile in the June 16 St James’s Palace (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot.
Also, Coolmore’s filly Found (Galileo), who was the subject of Derby
supplementation rumors, has instead been set for the June 19 Coronation S.
(Eng-G1) at the Royal meeting.
Epicuris (Rail Link) is the French-trained contender after
completing his preparation with a workout in Chantilly Monday morning.
The Criquette Head-Maarek colt was unbeaten in three starts last year,
which culminated in a 2 1/2-length victory in the Criterium
de Saint-Cloud (Fr-G1) in November.
He met defeat when going down by four lengths to Silverwave (Silver Frost) in a Group
3
contest at Longchamp in April and refused to enter the stalls ahead of the Prix Greffulhe
(Fr-G2) at Saint-Cloud on May 5.
“Epicuris is fine,” Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Khalid
Abdullah, reported. “He worked nicely on Les Aigles (at Chantilly) this morning and is all
set to come over.
“We will be doing our best to get him there in one piece and in a good frame of
mind.
“We are giving it a shot and we have got to be hopeful.”
Hopes for a first German-trained Derby winner rest with Rogue
Runner (King’s Best). The Andreas Wohler trainee won on his seasonal
reappearance at Hoppegarten in April before finding the going too testing when
fifth in a Group 3 contest over 10 furlongs at Frankfurt on May 3.
Other interesting contenders include Moheet (High Chaparral), who ran
better than his finishing position suggested when eighth after not getting a
clear run in the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket on May 2, and Storm
the Stars (Sea the Stars), who chased home Hans Holbein in the Chester Vase
before landing the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood on May 22.
Completing the potential line-up for the 2015 Investec Derby on Saturday at
4.30pm are Godolphin’s Best of Times (Dubawi), second to Storm
the Stars at Goodwood; Rocky Rider (Galileo); and rank outsider Carbon Dating
(The Carbon Unit).
The final declaration stage for the 2015 Derby is on Thursday.
Dolniya (Azamour) is the 11-10 favorite with Coral following an
“Flintshire is also coming over for the Coronation Cup,” Grimthorpe said. “It looks like he
O’Brien has trained more winners of the Coronation Cup than any
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Last year’s Derby third Romsdal (Halling) also goes forward,
along with Turkish Group 2 scorer Pether’s Moon (Dylan Thomas), Sheikhzayedroad
(Dubawi) and Ayrad (Dalakhani).
Andrew Cooper, Epsom’s head of racing and clerk of the course, gave a Monday
update on the ground.
“I am calling the going good at present,” Cooper reported. “It is verging on the slow
side of good in certain places after the rain over the weekend.
“The forecast is for up to five millimeters of rain overnight into tomorrow.
That is the last of the substantial rain we are predicted to receive.
“Conditions should become drier and warmer as the week goes on. As temperatures
rise, there is also an increased risk of showers.”
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