A record 17 second entries were revealed Thursday for the 2013 Derby, which
takes place over 1 1/2 miles at Epsom Downs on June 1. With a prize fund of at
least £1.325 million, the coveted classic is Britain’s richest race.
The second entry stage provides connections who did not enter at the initial
yearling stage the opportunity to add three-year-olds to the Derby at a cost of
£8,000. There were five second stage entries in 2012 and 12 in 2011. The
previous record was 13 in 2008.
The third and final opportunity to enter the Derby comes at the supplementary
entry stage on May 27, when the fee rises to £75,000. The winner of the £50,000
Derby Trial (run at the Spring Meeting at Epsom on April 24) will receive a
wild-card entry into the Derby, if not already holding an entry.
Dawn Approach, an 8-1 chance with Coral, was unbeaten in six outings last
season, ending the campaign with a pair of Group 1 victories in the Vincent
O’Brien Stakes at the Curragh and in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket to earn
the accolade of European champion juvenile.
The son of 2008 Derby hero New Approach, trained by Jim Bolger, is one of
three second entries from the Maktoum family’s Godolphin operation. Godolphin
has also made second entries for the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Secret Number, who
finished strongly to be third in the U.A.E. Derby at Meydan on March 30 and Steeler,
from the stable of Mahmood al Zarooni, who was successful in the Royal Lodge
Stakes at Newmarket in 2012.
Sue Smith became the third female trainer to saddle a Grand National winner
last Saturday but, to date, no Derby scorer has been trained by a woman. That
could change in 2013 with Willie the Whipper, a possible starter for North
Yorkshire-based Ann Duffield. The Whipper colt won a six-furlong maiden at
Hamilton in August before taking the Silver Tankard over a mile at Pontefract in
October, following which he was sold to Qatar Racing Ltd. He ended the campaign
by taking second in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud in November.
“We are looking at the Derby for Willie the Whipper,” Duffield commented.
“It’s obviously tilting at windmills but he has got decent form — second in
that French Group 1 — and we have always thought he is a very nice horse so he
is entitled to have an entry.
“He is fine at the moment and will probably start off in the Chester Vase
(May 9). He has strengthened up over the winter and come out of it well so we
are very hopeful.
“We never got the opportunity to run him on anything over than heavy ground
last year and, although he handled it well, we have always thought he would be
better on better ground, but time will tell.
“He is out of a Slip Anchor mare who won over a mile and five furlongs so I
don’t think the step up to a mile and a half will be a problem.”
Legendary Newmarket handler Sir Henry Cecil has won the Derby four times,
courtesy of Slip Anchor (1985), Reference Point (1987), Commander in Chief
(1993) and Oath (1999), and the master of Warren Place has made second entries
for three colts this year. The trio are Al Waab, a staying-on third behind
Steeler in the Royal Lodge Stakes; the Khalid Abdullah-owned Morpheus, who
finished down the field on his only start at Nottingham last season but is an
Oasis Dream half-brother to the outstanding Frankel; and Squire Osbaldeston, who
was third on his debut at Newmarket in August.
Fellow Newmarket handler William Haggas is the only current handler to have a
100 percent record in the Derby, having sent out Shaamit to victory with his
only runner in 1996. Haggas has entered the unraced Battalion, a son of 2007
Derby scorer Authorized.
Irish handler John Oxx is another trainer to have enjoyed multiple Derby
success thanks to Sinndar (2000) and Sea the Stars (2009) and he has made a
second entry for the Aga Khan’s Zand, the impressive winner of a Leopardstown
maiden in October.
There is another Irish-trained second entry in the Andy Oliver-trained First
Cornerstone. The son of Hurricane Run was successful twice over seven furlongs
in 2012, taking the Canford Cliffs Stakes at Tipperary and the Futurity
Stakes at the Curragh, with both of those victories coming in August. He
finished the campaign with a close fourth behind Kingsbarns in the Racing Post
Trophy at Doncaster in October.
“First Cornerstone is in the Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club and the Irish
Derby,” Oliver said. “The idea would be to start him off in a Derby trial and
then we will pick out which one to go for from there. We will just weigh things
up nearer the time but it gives us some options.
“Physically, he has done well over the winter. He had a nice long break and
really enjoyed himself. He is not a huge horse but he stands over a lot of
ground and is a lovely, easy-moving horse.
“On bare form, he looks as if he deserves an entry in the Derby. Everything
about him smacks that he will stay the trip and his current owners Team Valor
said they want to aim him at one of the Derbys.
“He was a good two-year-old, winning a listed race and a Group 2 over seven
furlongs on heavy ground. He then had a respiratory infection and went for the
Racing Post Trophy on the back of that and his preparation wasn’t as desirable
as it could have been.
“He arrived at the two-furlong pole upsides Kingsbarns but Chris Hayes
(jockey) said he gave a big blow and basically blew up. We were quite happy with
the run and whether we would have troubled the winner or not, I don’t like
speculating too much, but I would have thought we could advance our position to
some respect.
“He is a very relaxed horse and loves his work, and at this stage we are very
happy with his preparation. We haven’t asked him any serious questions yet but
we will start to wind him up now.
“All things being equal, he will probably start off in the Derrinstown Derby
Trial (May 12 at Leopardstown) but we also have the option of running him in the
Dante Stakes (May 16) at York.
“We are a bit in the dark about how he will go on better ground. He has
worked on a synthetic surface and although there are no problems, he is pounds
or even stones better when he gets on the grass.
“He is a very sound and easy-moving horse, but he has done all his winning on
soft or heavy ground. I’m not going to avoid better ground, though, because I
have no reason to, but it is something we will keep in mind.”
Jeremy Noseda has made two second entries — Fantastic Moon, who was
successful in the Solario Stakes at Sandown and the unraced Achtung, a
full-brother to Authorized.
Van Der Neer, trained by Richard Hannon, has already laid down his
credentials this season, having taken the International Trial Stakes at
Lingfield on April 6. Last season, the Dutch Art colt was successful on his
first two starts before only finding Kingsbarns three-quarters of a length too
good in the Racing Post Trophy.
The other second entries are the Kevin Ryan-trained Glory Awaits; King George
River, who was previously trained by Aidan O’Brien but has won his last two
starts for Alan Bailey; Libertarian, successful on debut at Pontefract on
Tuesday for Elaine Burke; and Mirsaale, from the Newmarket yard of James Tate.
Together with the remaining yearling entries, 125 three-year-olds in total go
forward for glory in the 2013 Derby.