Seventeen 3-year-olds were drawn for Saturday’s Group 1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs in England and DESERT CROWN is the current favourite, trained by five-time Derby winner Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Richard Kingscote, from stall 12.
Aidan O’Brien’s best hope of landing a ninth victory lies with Stone Age. NATIONS PRIDE was supplemented to the race on Monday.
Post time for the Cazoo Derby is 11:30 Eastern and you can watch and wager on the Epsom card at www.hpibet.com.
Friday morning is the Group 1 EPSOM OAKS for fillies and a list of the runners is below.
STONE AGE, a son of Galileo who had shown some smart form without winning in five starts as a juvenile last term, certainly seems to have progressed at a rate of knots since returning from the winter, taking control of matters here when kicking clear on the bend under Ryan Moore.
His five-and-a-half-length margin of victory was enough to propel him into 3-1 favouritism for the Saturday 4th June showpiece, a market move which undoubtedly was assisted by the scratching of Luxembourg – who won’t head over the Irish Sea after suffering a setback on Friday.
O’Brien has enjoyed near domination of this year’s Derby trials and while tight-lipped about the current Ballydoyle pecking order for Epsom Downs, he certainly feels that Stone Age will head there with a live chance.
The master of Ballydoyle said: “He’s lovely. He’s a cruiser and tactical and keeps going. He came forward lovely and we thought he’d come forward a bit more from today. The plan was to give him two runs as he was a maiden when he started out at Navan.
“We’ve always felt that he was good, so we weren’t really worrying about his maiden tag too much. We don’t think there will be a problem at Epsom – his two runs this season were left-handed and he steps quick out of the gate and is very happy to get a lead. He’s got that class to pick up and push out so he never looks in any race to be getting weak to the line. He’s never run any further than this, but he’s always going all the way to the line.”
Here is a horse-by-horse guide to the Derby starters:
Friday, Epsom Downs, post time: 11:30 eastern
CAZOO OAKS-G1, £550,000, 3yo, f, 12f 6y
SC HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Concert Hall (Ire) Dubawi (Ire) D.Smith,Mrs J.Magnier,M.Tabor,Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Seamus Heffernan 128
2 Emily Upjohn (GB) Sea The Stars (Ire) Tactful Finance & S Roden John & Thady Gosden Frankie Dettori 128
3 Kawida (GB) Sir Percy (GB) Miss K. Rausing Ed Walker Jim Crowley 128
4 Moon de Vega (GB) Lope de Vega (Ire) Regents Consulting Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 128
5 Nashwa (GB) Frankel (GB) Mr Imad Alsagar John & Thady Gosden Hollie Doyle 128
6 Rogue Millennium (Ire) Dubawi (Ire) The Rogues Gallery Tom Clover Jack Mitchell 128
7 The Algarve American Pharoah Mrs David Nagle,Coolmore & Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Colin Keane 128
8 Thoughts of June (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Moyglare Stud Farm/Mrs Magnier/ M Tabor Aidan O’Brien Wayne Lordan 128
9 Tranquil Lady (Ire) Australia (GB) Teme Valley Joseph Patrick O’Brien Tom Marquand 128
10 Tuesday (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore 128
11 With The Moonlight (Ire) Frankel (GB) Godolphin Charlie Appleby William Buick 128
Breeders: 1-Was Syndicate, 2-Lordship Stud & Sunderland Holding Inc, 3-Miss K. Rausing, 4-Montcastle Bloodstock Ltd, 5-Blue Diamond Stud F arm (UK)
Ltd, 6-Shadwell Estate Company Limited, 7-Barronstown Stud, 8-Moyglare Stud Farm, 9-Tinnakill Bloodstock Ltd, 10-Coolmore, 11-Godolphin
Saturday, Epsom Downs, post time: 11:30 Eastern
CAZOO DERBY-G1, £1,604,000, 3yo, c/f, 12f 6y
SC HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Changingoftheguard (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Westerberg/Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith Aidan O’Brien No rider 128
2 Desert Crown (GB) Nathaniel (Ire) Mr Saeed Suhail Sir Michael Stoute Richard Kingscote 128
3 El Habeeb (Ire) Al Rifai (Ire) Mr Mohamed Khalid Abdulrahim J. S. Moore John Egan 128
4 Glory Daze (Ire) Cotai Glory (GB) Glory Gold Partnership A. Oliver R. P. Whelan 128
5 Grand Alliance (Ire) Churchill (Ire) Mrs Susan Roy Charlie Fellowes Daniel Tudhope 128
6 Hoo Ya Mal (GB) Territories (Ire) Ahmad Al Shaikh Andrew Balding David Probert 128
7 Masekela (Ire) El Kabeir Mick and Janice Mariscotti Andrew Balding Jason Watson 128
8 Nahanni (GB) Frankel (GB) Godolphin Charlie Appleby Adam Kirby 128
9 Nations Pride (Ire) Teofilo (Ire) Godolphin Charlie Appleby William Buick 128
10 Piz Badile (Ire) Ulysses (Ire) Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd Donnacha Aidan O’Brien Frankie Dettori 128
11 Royal Patronage (Fr) Wootton Bassett (GB) Highclere T’Bred Racing – Woodland Walk Charlie & Mark Johnston Jason Hart 128
12 Sonny Liston (Ire) Lawman (Fr) Chelsea Thoroughbreds – the Big Bear Charles Hills Tom Marquand 128
13 Star of India (Ire) Galileo (Ire) M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg Aidan O’Brien No rider 128
14 Stone Age (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Brant/Magnier/Tabor/Smith/Westerberg Aidan O’Brien No rider 128
15 Walk of Stars (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Godolphin Charlie Appleby James Doyle 128
16 Westover (GB) Frankel (GB) Juddmonte Ralph Beckett Rob Hornby 128
17 West Wind Blows (Ire) Teofilo (Ire) Mr Abdulla Al Mansoori Simon & Ed Crisford Jack Mitchell 128
Breeders: 1-B. V. Sangster, 2-Strawberry Fields Stud, 3-Khalid Abdul Rahim, 4-Mountarmstrong Stud, 5-Mrs S. M. Roy, 6-Meon Valley Stud, 7-Coolawn
Stud, 8-Godolphin, 9-Godolphin, 10-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd, 11-Emma Capon Bloodstock, 12-Tally-Ho Stud, 13-Barronstown Stud, 14-White Birch
Farm, SC, 15-Godolphin, 16-Juddmonte Farms Ltd, 17-Godolphin
Date: Saturday 4 June 2022 – Post time: 4:30 p.m.
Previous winners: Adayar (2021), Serpentine (2020), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Masar (2018), Wings Of Eagles (2017)
Leading jockey: Frankie Dettori (2 wins), Ryan Moore (2 wins)
Leading trainer: Aidan O’Brien (8 wins)
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