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Sir Dragonet headlines O'Brien's bid for Investec Derby

3 minute read

A field of 13 is set to go to phost for the premier Classic, the £1.625-million G1 Investec Derby, which is staged at Epsom Downs Racecourse at 4.30pm on Saturday, June 1, the highlight of the Investec Derby Festival.

Ireland's 21-times champion Flat trainer Aidan O'Brien is seeking a record-equalling seventh Investec Derby win as he launches a seven-pronged attack on the 240th running of the Investec Derby over 12 furlongs and six yards.

SIR DRAGONET winning the MBNA Chester Vase Stakes (Group 3) in Chester, England.
SIR DRAGONET winning the MBNA Chester Vase Stakes (Group 3) in Chester, England. Picture: (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

The master of Ballydoyle's septet are spearheaded by Sir Dragonet, the mount of Ryan Moore, who was the supplemented for the Classic on Monday at a cost of £85,000. An impressive winner of the Chester Vase on May 8, having captured a Tipperary maiden on debut on April 25, Sir Dragonet is sired by 2012 Investec Derby victor Camelot and is the 11/4 favourite with Unibet, official betting partner of the Investec Derby Festival.

Sir Dragonet  was drawn in stall 13 of 13 at this morning's Investec Derby Draw, which was hosted by Racing TV's Tom Stanley and featured Derby-winning jockeys Michael Hills and Willie Carson at Epsom Downs.

O'Brien's other six Investec Derby contenders are headed by Broome (Donnacha O'Brien, 9/2, stall 8), who has captured two G3 Derby trials at Leopardstown so far this season. The three-year-old son of Australia, the 2014 Derby victor, backed up a convincing eight-length win in the Ballysax Stakes in April with a smooth victory in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on May 12.

Trainer - Aidan O'BRIEN
Trainer - Aidan O'BRIEN Picture: Racing and Sports

His team are completed by impressive Lingfield Listed Derby Trial victor Anthony Van Dyck (Seamie Heffernan, 15/2, stall 7), Dante Stakes fourth Japan (Wayne Lordan, 10/1, stall 11), Listed Dee stakes scorer Circus Maximus (Frankie Dettori, 20/1, stall 5), Chester Vase second Norway (Jamie Spencer, 40/1, stall 10) and Sovereign (100/1, stall 4), twice placed behind Broome in 2019, the mount of 2017 Investec Derby-winning jockey Padraig Beggy. The Ballydoyle handler's seven runners in this year's Investec Derby account for over half of the field and is his largest team since 2007 (eight runners).

Also supplemented on Monday was the Hughie Morrison-trained Telecaster (Oisin Murphy, 11/2). The three-year-old is a son of 2008 Investec Derby winner New Approach, whilst his dam Shirocco Star was second in the 2012 renewal of the Investec Oaks. Unraced at two, Telecaster landed the G2 Dante Stakes at York on May 16, his third start, having previously captured a 10-furlong maiden at Windsor on April 15. At today's Investec Derby Draw, he was assigned to stall 2. No horse has ever won the Investec Derby from that berth, since starting stalls were introduced in 1967.

Telecaster chased home fellow Investec Derby entry Bangkok (9/1, stall 12), owned by King Power Racing, in a Doncaster maiden on March 30. Trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, Bangkok went on to capture the G3 bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown Park on April 26. He will break from the same stall his Derby-winning sire Australia broke from in the 2014 Investec Derby. 

Veteran Irish trainer Kevin Prendergast saddles Madhmoon (Chris Hayes, 10/1, stall 6), who finished a creditable fourth to Magna Grecia in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4. Owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum, connections are optimistic that the son of Dawn Approach will stay the extra half-mile at Epsom.

The unexposed Humanitarian (66/1, stall 9) has won his last two starts, latterly capturing a 10-furlong novice event at Salisbury and he represents dual Derby winner John Gosden in Britain's premier Classic. He is partnered by Rab Havlin.

Completing the field are Godolphin's Line Of Duty (Charlie Appleby/James Doyle, 40/1, stall 1), a disappointing seventh in the Dante Stakes at York on his seasonal reappearance and Hiroshima (John Ryan/Brett Doyle, 250/1, stall 3), successful in a Southwell maiden on May 1.

Investec Derby - Unibet prices: 11/4 Sir Dragonet; 9/2 Broome; 11/2 Telecaster; 15/2 Anthony Van Dyck; 9/1 Bangkok; 10/1 Japan, Madhmoon; 20/1 Circus Maximus; 40/1 Line Of Duty, Norway; 66/1 Humanitarian; 100/1 Sovereign; 250/1 Hiroshima

Each-way ¼ 1,2,3


Racing and Sports

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For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au