Delacroix leads the way as 20 remain in Derby contention
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Delacroix propelled himself to the head of the Classic betting with conclusive victories in two spring Derby trials, adding to his narrow defeat in last year's Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.
He is one of four contenders from Ballydoyle, with The Lion In Winter another key name despite his odds-on defeat in the Dante, while Lambourn and Puppet Master won trials at Chester and Lingfield respectively.
The Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court bids to another Classic to his CV, with the 2000 Guineas winner one of two for Godolphin along with the Newmarket fourth Tornado Alert for Saeed bin Suroor.
Dante winner Pride Of Arras is one of two possibles for Ralph Beckett who could also run Stanhope Gardens while John and Thady Gosden have confirmed both York second Damysus and the Juddmonte-owned fifth Nightwalker.
Juddmonte have added a second string to their bow though, as French raider New Ground has been supplemented at a cost of £75,000 after finishing third in each of his two starts for trainer Henri-Francois Devin this season.
The son of New Bay was beaten just a length by French Derby runner-up Cualificar in April and Juddmonte's European racing manager Barry Mahon is confident he will thrive for stepping up in trip.
He said: 'His form is good and we think he is crying out for a mile and a half.
'We could have taken him to Chantilly, but decided to wait to go to Epsom. He's in great form.'
The Francis Graffard-trained Midak has also been added to the race and he will carry the colours of the Aga Khan Studs, with the race run in honour of the Aga Khan IV, who died in February.
Charlie Johnston could be double-handed via Lazy Griff and Green Storm, with Al Wasl Storm, Nightime Dancer, Rogue Impact, Sea Scout, Tennessee Stud and Tuscan Hills round out the potential field.
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South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Thirty years on and Bin Suroor will never forget Lammtarra
Saeed bin Suroor had not held a licence for long when he saddled the chestnut on that first Saturday in June. In fact, he did not even train Lammtarra when the flashy colt made a winning debut in a Listed race in August 1994, his only run at two. That honour went to Alex Scott, who was tragically shot dead by a groom at his stud in Newmarket just a month later. Lammtarra was transferred to the care of the little known at the time Bin Suroor and the rest, as they say, is history. In a classy renewal, Walter Swinburn delivered his inexperienced partner late to deny Tamure and a certain Frankie Dettori, who would go on to have a long and successful partnership with Bin Suroor. The history of the Turf is long and illustrious. But there have been few careers like that of Lammtarra. In just four lifetime starts he won the Derby, the King George and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the three most prestigious mile-and-a-half races in Europe. Bin Suroor has since been champion trainer four times and trained 12 further Classic winners – but he knows he owes a massive debt to Lammtarra. His string is much smaller these days, but he proved when Mawj won the 1000 Guineas just two years ago that given the right ammunition he is still capable of winning the biggest races. He had runners in both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas this year, in Elwateen and Tornado Alert respectively, and both outran their big odds to finish fourth. Tornado Alert now tries to win him a second Derby. 'It is 30 years since Lammtarra which seems a long time, it would be great to win it again, it's the biggest race so it makes me want to win it more,' said Bin Suroor. 'The reason it is so special is because it is very hard to win, only one horse can win it every year. 'I remember Lammtarra well. We got him at the end of his two-year-old season and we obviously knew he was good as he won a Listed race on his debut. 'We took him out to Dubai to train and he was working very well. He was not a big horse, he was quite small, but he had a big engine with a big heart and a good turn of foot. 'He used to work with all our good horses and I never saw him lose a gallop.' Of course one of the quirks of the racing and breeding industries is the more successful a colt is on the track at three, the less chance there is of them racing on at four as they become so valuable, and that was the case with Lammtarra. 'Once he had won the Derby we felt we only wanted him to run in the biggest races,' Bin Suroor went on. 'We took him to the King George and the Arc, the toughest races, but every time he held his form. 'He was a rare horse because what he showed you in the morning he also showed you on the track, they don't always. He was so special.' Bin Suroor went on to train Dubai Millennium, who failed to stay when tried in the 1999 Derby won by Oath. But that was his only defeat in 10 races, being at his best over a mile and 10 furlongs. 'Lammtarra was the best I trained over a mile and a half. Dubai Millennium didn't stay in the Derby, but we had to try. Over 10 furlongs Dubai Millennium would have been the best,' he said. 'To win the Derby, the King George and the Arc, the three biggest mile-and-a-half races tells you he was the best at that distance – on any ground, too, as he won the Derby on fast ground and the Arc on heavy. 'I owe him a lot, he came early in my career and achieved so much. 'The Derby is the best race in the world, it is so hard to win, for me to win it not long after starting meant so much. The winner is the best and to win it is very special for the horse, the owner and the trainer. 'I would love to win a Derby for Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin now.'
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Thirty years on and Bin Suroor will never forget Lammtarra
Saeed bin Suroor had not held a licence for long when he saddled the chestnut on that first Saturday in June. In fact, he did not even train Lammtarra when the flashy colt made a winning debut in a Listed race in August 1994, his only run at two. That honour went to Alex Scott, who was tragically shot dead by a groom at his stud in Newmarket just a month later. Lammtarra was transferred to the care of the little known at the time Bin Suroor and the rest, as they say, is history. In a classy renewal, Walter Swinburn delivered his inexperienced partner late to deny Tamure and a certain Frankie Dettori, who would go on to have a long and successful partnership with Bin Suroor. The history of the Turf is long and illustrious. But there have been few careers like that of Lammtarra. In just four lifetime starts he won the Derby, the King George and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the three most prestigious mile-and-a-half races in Europe. Bin Suroor has since been champion trainer four times and trained 12 further Classic winners – but he knows he owes a massive debt to Lammtarra. His string is much smaller these days, but he proved when Mawj won the 1000 Guineas just two years ago that given the right ammunition he is still capable of winning the biggest races. He had runners in both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas this year, in Elwateen and Tornado Alert respectively, and both outran their big odds to finish fourth. Tornado Alert now tries to win him a second Derby. 'It is 30 years since Lammtarra which seems a long time, it would be great to win it again, it's the biggest race so it makes me want to win it more,' said Bin Suroor. 'The reason it is so special is because it is very hard to win, only one horse can win it every year. 'I remember Lammtarra well. We got him at the end of his two-year-old season and we obviously knew he was good as he won a Listed race on his debut. 'We took him out to Dubai to train and he was working very well. He was not a big horse, he was quite small, but he had a big engine with a big heart and a good turn of foot. 'He used to work with all our good horses and I never saw him lose a gallop.' Of course one of the quirks of the racing and breeding industries is the more successful a colt is on the track at three, the less chance there is of them racing on at four as they become so valuable, and that was the case with Lammtarra. 'Once he had won the Derby we felt we only wanted him to run in the biggest races,' Bin Suroor went on. 'We took him to the King George and the Arc, the toughest races, but every time he held his form. 'He was a rare horse because what he showed you in the morning he also showed you on the track, they don't always. He was so special.' Bin Suroor went on to train Dubai Millennium, who failed to stay when tried in the 1999 Derby won by Oath. But that was his only defeat in 10 races, being at his best over a mile and 10 furlongs. 'Lammtarra was the best I trained over a mile and a half. Dubai Millennium didn't stay in the Derby, but we had to try. Over 10 furlongs Dubai Millennium would have been the best,' he said. 'To win the Derby, the King George and the Arc, the three biggest mile-and-a-half races tells you he was the best at that distance – on any ground, too, as he won the Derby on fast ground and the Arc on heavy. 'I owe him a lot, he came early in my career and achieved so much. 'The Derby is the best race in the world, it is so hard to win, for me to win it not long after starting meant so much. The winner is the best and to win it is very special for the horse, the owner and the trainer. 'I would love to win a Derby for Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin now.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Charlie Appleby has rain worries for Derby favourite Ruling Court
The Godolphin trainer saddles the 2,000 Guineas winner at Epsom but rain has arrived at the Surrey track where showers are forecast through Friday and Saturday Charlie Appleby has rain worries ahead of Ruling Court's attempt to complete the 2,000 Guineas-Derby double. The colt heads the betting for the £1.5 million Betfred Derby after capturing the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. A Derby victory would put him on a path to the Triple Crown, for which Betfred are offering a £2 million bonus if the St Leger is also landed. He faces 19 runners, the biggest field since 2003, and is rated by jockey William Buick as the best horse in the race. However ground conditions at Epsom could be much different to Newmarket where the going was good, with good to firm patches in the final furlong, according to clerk of the course Andrew Cooper. READ MORE: The Derby tips: full field, horse by horse guide, latest odds and 1-2-3 prediction for Epsom 'This will be my 30th Derby as Clerk of the Course and I have never known such a prolonged dry period from March through to April and into May,' he said 'Here and now, if we were racing at Epsom Downs at this moment, I would have a straightforward call of Good on the ground. That follows 3.5mm of rain on Tuesday afternoon which was kind of forecast.' Another 4.4mm of rain had fallen at the track up to 11.15am on Thursday but more could arrive on Friday and Saturday. 'We could have two quite showery days on Friday and Saturday. Saturday in particular has the potential to have some heavy showers but we will see. 'We all know in this game the volume of rain on a raceday, when you are racing over ground, it doesn't take lots to shift things and you are relying very much on jockeys' opinions as to how it's riding. 'I can't see any scenario at present where we would be quicker than Good come Saturday and I think there is every indication that we are going to be on the slower side to some degree through the two days.' That might not be good news for supporters of Ruling Court, despite having trained well since his Guineas triumph. Appleby said: 'We wouldn't want the ground to get too soft by Saturday, so any significant amount of rain would be a negative. 'We won't know if he truly gets a mile and a half until we try, but he gives us all the indications that he should get the trip. We know that he is the class horse in the field, which helps, and being able to travel around Epsom is probably more important than being a proper mile-and-a-half horse. 'We can have no complaints with being drawn seven and are very pleased with how his preparation has gone. He is an exciting Derby contender, for sure.'
