EPSOM DOWNS INVESTIC DERBY RUNNERS 05.06.2010 FOR THE 231st RUNNING OF THE BRITISH DERBY

12 RUNNERS FOR SATURDAY’S INVESTEC DERBY AT EPSOM DOWNS




There are 12 runners for the 231st running of Investec Derby, Britain’s premier Classic which is due off at 4pm at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 5.



The only withdrawals this morning were made by trainer Aidan O’Brien who took out three of his six five-day acceptors as expected - St Nicholas Abbey, Cape Blanco and Bright Horizon.



O’Brien is represented by the 7/4 favourite Jan Vermeer, Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Midas Touch (6/1) and pacemaker At First Sight (150/1), all owned by Coolmore partnerships.



The official betting partner of Epsom Downs Racecourse, totesport, now bets on the Investec Derby - 7/4 (from 13/8) Jan Vermeer, 5 Workforce, 11/2 (from 6/1) Midas Touch, 6 Bullet Train, 15/2 Rewilding, 12 Azmeel, 20 (from 25) Al Zir, Coordinated Cut, 33 Ted Spread, 50 Buzzword, Hot Prospect, 150 At First Sight - a quarter 1-2-3.



“Jan Vermeer has been the best-backed horse bar none in the Investec Derby market over the past week or so but it could just be that punters think the value has dried up as we are beginning to see quite a bit of support for those just behind him in the market. Midas Touch has been the one punters have wanted to be with this afternoon and Aidan O'Brien's colt is now 11/2 (from 6/1) with totesport,” said totesport spokesman George Primarolo.



Godolphin also has three runners - Rewilding, Buzzword and Al Zir - with the last-named coming in for support over the last 24 hours and Kieren Fallon’s mount is now a 20/1 shot from 25/1. Rewilding and Buzzword, both trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, were added to the Investec Derby on Monday as supplementary entries at at a cost of £75,000 each. This increased the Investec Derby’s prize money to £1,359,000, making the mile and a half Classic the richest race by far in Britain and Ireland this year.



Rewilding won the Listed bluesquare.com Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood by four lengths on May 19, while Buzzword stayed on well towards the end of the Group One Poule D’Essai Des Poulains, the French 2,000 Guineas, over a mile at Longchamp on May 16.



Al Zir, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, disappointed when ninth in the first colts’ Classic, the StanJames.com 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 1 but was a good two-year-old. Frankie Dettori rides Rewilding, while Ahmed Ajtebi is on Buzzword.





Newmarket-based Mark Tompkins sent out Ted Spread to score in the Group Three Chester Vase on May 6 at Chester.



The trainer travelled to Epsom today, walked the Investec Derby course and declared Ted Spread certain to line-up on Saturday.



Tompkins had warned he would withdraw the colt if the ground proved too quick, but after a tour of the track in partnership with joint-owner Gary Petit, Tompkins said of the going: “It’s good, good to firm in places. Barring accidents the horse will run.



“The breeze is blowing and it’s drying, but I’ve been told they might put a bit of water on after racing tomorrow.”



Tompkins added of his MBNA Chester Vase winner: "Ted Spread is fine - he did a couple of canters this morning and will have a blow tomorrow."



Ted Spread’s trio of owners "will take off and disappear for three months" if their horse wins the big race, according to co-owner Ger Barrett, who with Petit and Steve Ashley go by the name of the False Nose ‘N Glasses Partnership.



Explaining their pseudonym, Barrett said: “We came up with the name at one o’clock in the morning over a few drinks. We’ve got three very understanding wives, but we’ve owned shares in greyhounds and horses and felt we might be pushing the boat a bit far with this one."



Petit confirmed the tale, and added: “I said ‘What if the horse proves good enough to go to a big race meeting on the telly - we’ll have to go in false noses and glasses’, and the name stuck.”



Both men will be at Epsom on Saturday and, with the blessing of their wives Oonagh and Kelly, although Ashley works for Japan’s Nomura Bank and is currently in Tokyo. He and Barrett are financial traders, while Petit runs a brokering company.



All three have enjoyed success in racing - Petit and Ashley had shares in Royal Ascot winner Missoula, while Petit’s Quipe Me Posted won for Jonjo O’Neill’s stable on Sunday at Uttoxeter.



They called their Investec Derby runner Ted Spread “because we wanted part of the name to reflect what we do work wise - and it turned out Gary’s father-in-law is called Ted,” said Barrett



He added: “Winning at Chester was incredible - the best day ever - but being at Epsom with a Derby runner could top it. Just to see his name among the original 380 entries was a great feeling, and now to be down to the final 12 is hard to believe. Being objective, he has to improve 12 to 14lb, but he is improving.”



Petit concurred with that view and, on his first visit to Epsom, said: “It’s beautiful. I look at all the ups and downs and think what could be - it will be brilliant to be here among so many big owners.



“We’re in it for fun, not money, and the horse has the heart of a lion. Seeing Missoula win at Royal Ascot was special, but this crowns everything.”



Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute are the most successful current trainers in the Investec Derby, with both Newmarket handlers having enjoyed four victories. This year Henry Cecil is set to be represented by Bullet Train, the impressive winner of the Group Three totesport.com Derby Trial at Lingfield Park on May 8, while Stoute’s chance of gaining a fifth success in the Classic rests with Workforce, who was runner-up to Cape Blanco in the totesport Dante Stakes at York on May 13.



Other Derby-winning trainers likely to be represented in the 2010 renewal include John Gosden, successful with Benny The Dip in 1997, who has left in Group Three Dee Stakes scorer Azmeel, while Michael Bell, who saddled Motivator to triumph in 2005, plans to run Coordinated Cut, who landed the valuable Tattersalls Timeform 3-Y-O Trophy at Newmarket in April and was third behind Cape Blanco at York.



The Michael Jarvis-trained Hot Prospect, third to both Bullet Train and Coordinated Cut this season, completes the Investec Derby field on Saturday, June 5.





GOING NEWS



Andrew Cooper, Clerk of the Course and Director of Racing, this afternoon described the going as Good, good to firm in places.



The GoingStick reading at 2.30pm today was 8.4.



The course is dolled out up to five yards from the six-furlong pole to the winning line on the far side, adding approximately 10 yards to all race distances tomorrow (Friday).



This will be removed for Saturday to give fresh ground for the Investec Derby.



The weather has been warm and sunny today and the forecast predicts it will remain dry and warm, reaching 23/24 degrees Celsius by Friday.



Cooper said this afternoon: “The ground walks to me as good, good to firm in places and I hope it rides like that tomorrow.



“It is mainly good, with a few quicker places on the climb up the back straight. The temperature has reached 21 or 22 degrees today and it has also been quite breezy so it has dried a bit during the course of the day.



“I have no definite plan about watering - I am open minded. It is not out of the question that we will put some water on after racing tomorrow.



“If we did anything, it would probably just concern the home straight - the final three and a half furlongs or so. That area would take water OK but I would be wary of putting anything on the downhill section overnight.



“I will make a decision about whether to water during racing tomorrow.”



TOTESPORT SPECIALS



Epsom’s official betting partner totesport have released a host of specials on the Investec Derby.



Aidan O’Brien trains three of the 12 declared - including favourite Jan Vermeer – and it’s an even money chance that the Ballydoyle maestro trains the winner with 8/11 being offered that any other horse wins.



“Whilst Aidan O’Brien may not have the strength in-depth that many thought he would have in this year’s Investec Derby, there are many that think he is still on course to train his third winner of the Classic and it’s even money that he does so,”said totesport spokesman George Primarolo.



Bullet Train and Workforce head a special English-trained Derby market at 11/4, with Rewilding next in the betting at 4/1 and Azmeel 6/1.



Investec Derby Special: Aidan O’Brien vs the field – totesport bet: 8/11 The Field, Evs AP O’Brien-trained winner.



Investec Derby Special: English-trained Derby winner – totesport bet: 11/4 Bullet Train, Workforce, 4 Rewilding, 6 Azmeel, 10 Al Zir, Coordinated Cut, 16 Ted Spread, 25 Buzzword, Hot Prospect - a fifth the odds 1-2-3



Investec Derby Special: Match Bets – totesport bet:

8/11 Workforce, Evs Bullet Train;

5/6 Al Zir, 5/6 Coordinated Cut;

8/11 Ted Spread, Evs Hot Prospect.



For further information, please contact:



Rupert Trevelyan, Managing Director at Epsom Downs Racecourse, on 01372 726311



Andrew Cooper, Director of Racing at Epsom Downs Racecourse, on 07774 230850



Johnno Spence at JSC Sport on 07860 583307





THE 2010 INVESTEC DERBY DECLARED RUNNERS


Class 1, Group 1, £1,359,000 Total Prize Fund, 4.00pm, Epsom Downs, Saturday, June 5, 2010.

For three-year-olds only, entire colts & fillies, one mile, four furlongs & 10 yards. Entries closed December 2, 2008 (388 entries). First scratchings deadline noon, March 2, 2010 (122 remained - 2 subsequently scratched), £8,000 secondary entry stage noon, April 6, 2010 (8 extra entries received), second scratchings deadline noon, May 20, 2010 (19 remained, 1 subsequently scratched), £75,000 supplementary entry & five-day confirmation stage, noon, May 31, 2010 (13 entries go forward and 2 supplementary entries), final declaration stage 10am, Thursday, June 3, 2010 (12 declared runners).



Form Horse Owner Trainer Jockey



1) 113-0 AL ZIR (USA) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor Kieren Fallon



2) 51-23 AT FIRST SIGHT(IRE) Derrick Smith/Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE Seamie Heffernan



3) 110-21 AZMEEL Mohammed Al-Qatami & Khalid Al-Mudhaf John Gosden William Buick



4) 1-21 BULLET TRAIN Khalid Abdulla Henry Cecil Tom Queally



5) 355-04 BUZZWORD Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni Ahmed Ajtebi



6) 10-13 COORDINATED CUT(IRE) Lawrie Inman Michael Bell Jamie Spencer



7) 216-33 HOT PROSPECT Alan Spence Michael Jarvis Philip Robinson



8) 411-1 JAN VERMEER(IRE) Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE Johnny Murtagh



9) 314-1 MIDAS TOUCH Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Denford Stud Aidan O'Brien IRE Colm O’Donoghue



10) 21-21 REWILDING Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni Frankie Dettori



11) 013-1 TED SPREAD False Nose 'n Glasses Partnership Mark Tompkins Michael Hills



12) 1-2 WORKFORCE Khalid Abdulla Sir Michael Stoute Ryan Moore





12 declared runners

3 Irish-trained





Taken out today

BRIGHT HORIZON Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE

CAPE BLANCO (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE

ST NICHOLAS ABBEY (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE



ENDS