Epsom Attracts Sweet 16 For Derby Line-Up

MOORE SIDES WITH RANGER
Ryan Moore will be on US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) of the quintet of Ballydoyle runners in Saturday's 237th renewal of the G1 Investec Derby at Epsom. Drawn 15 of the 16 colts who go to post, Susan Magnier's May 5 G3 Chester Vase winner will be joined by stablemates Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), TDN Rising Star Idaho (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Port Douglas (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Shogun (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Jamie Spencer is on Fitri Hay's May 12 G2 Dante S. runner-up Deauville, Seamie Heffernan will partner the May 8 G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial runner-up Idaho and Colm O'Donoghue is on last year's G2 Beresford S. winner and Chester Vase runner-up Port Douglas. Trainer Aidan O'Brien's son Donnacha will have a first Derby ride on Shogun, who split Moonlight Magic (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Idaho when second in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. The Ballydoyle trainer said on Thursday, “All the horses seem to be in good form. They all have different profiles and have run in trials. You are obviously hoping they all run good races. Deauville is in good shape and everything has gone well since York. US Army Ranger and Port Douglas have done everything right since Chester. Idaho has been in good order since Leopardstown, as has Shogun since his run at the Curragh. All of their preps have gone well and, although there is still another day to go, everything seems well with them all. We are having lovely weather over here and I would say horses everywhere are looking well and doing well.” With Moore on US Army Ranger, the main focus falls on the unbeaten colt who has an almost identical profile to the 2013 Derby hero he steered Ruler of the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). After a debut maiden win over 10 furlongs at The Curragh Apr. 3, the bay overcame Port Douglas in the Chester Vase over this trip, where Biodynamic (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) was one of the well-beaten rivals in fourth. “We were very happy with US Army Ranger at the Curragh and the way he handled Chester,” O'Brien added. “We knew he was racing against a very seasoned, hardy horse. He just kept galloping rather than picking up and sprinting, but it was ordinary enough pace and when Ryan joined Seamus the two of them came together and pulled right away from the third horse. Seamus rode Idaho in Leopardstown and was very happy with him. Shogun is a brother to Qualify, who ran mid division in the Irish Guineas and improved totally when she stepped up in trip [to win last year's Investec Oaks]. Shogun stepped up a lot when we ran him over a mile and a quarter. We have been happy with their trials and, although some of them didn't win, you would rather lose and learn something than win and learn nothing.” With the five drawn between five and 15 in a Derby where tactics could play a major role, O'Brien is looking for his jockeys to work out the best plan of action. “All the lads will work out where to go,” he said. “That is what usually happens. They will see what is around them and work out where to go in their heads. Horses win from any kind of draw really and it depends what way the race is going to fall. The ground should be fine. I don't think anybody wants soft ground but Andrew [Cooper] and his team always have perfect ground in Epsom, even when it is fast.” The only colt drawn outside of US Army Ranger is Ronnie Arculli's Red Verdon (Lemon Drop Kid), the mount of Silvestre de Sousa who was supplemented on Monday at a cost of £75,000 after earning his place with a win in a 12-furlong handicap at Haydock May 21. Trainer Ed Dunlop is looking for bold show. “I know Red Verdon has only been running in handicaps, but it's the way he has improved as the season has progressed that is the reason why we are going for the Investec Derby,” he explained. “And also because I have a very ambitious owner in Ronnie Arculli who is always up for the big day. “We know we have got to improve a lot but, to be honest, we don't know how good this horse is. He has always been a very good-tempered horse. He is lazy, eats and sleeps and doesn't worry about life. It is only in the last three or four weeks that he has started to work like a decent horse. The vibes have been right and he had a decent blowout this morning, which went very well, and fingers crossed all stays well between now and Saturday. Ronnie likes to choose his jockeys and he was keen to use Silvestre. Everyone says it is an open Derby, but I am sure it will be a very good one.” Sir Michael Stoute will be represented by a pair of unexposed colts in Across the Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Third in the May 7 Listed Lingfield Derby Trial and successful in a 10-furlong Newbury maiden May 13 on their respective last starts, the latter will be partnered by Andrea Atzeni who is keen on the Niarchos homebred's chances of emulating the Epsom Oaks victory of his dam Light Shift (Kingmambo) in 2007. “Everyone likes Ulysses in the yard and they've always thought a lot of him, even as a two-year-old,” he said. “I know it's a big step up from a maiden to a Derby, but it's been done before and he's trained by Sir Michael, who knows how to win the race. He's a beautifully-bred horse and the couple of times I've sat on him he's given me a very good feel. He's got a good mind, is a good mover and will definitely stay; I would not swap him for anything. A lot of horses jig-jog or pull, especially when they know they are going to the gallops. But he walks there calmly, sets off and travels nicely behind. That will stand him in good stead on Saturday. The two bits of work I've done on him have been on the all-weather and nothing crazy–you don't want to be leaving the race on the gallops–but I let him stretch him legs and he quickened away from the lead horse. He moved good and is ready to go.” Andrew Cooper, head of racing and clerk of the course at Epsom, gave an update on the state of the ground on Thursday morning. “The going remains soft, good-to-soft in places. It has been dry since yesterday afternoon and it is quite breezy at Epsom Downs today,” he said.

Saturday, Epsom, Britain, post time: 4:30 p.m.
INVESTEC DERBY-G1, £1,545,000, 3yo, c/f, 12f 10yT
SC PP HORSE SIRE
1 6 Across the Stars (Ire) Sea the Stars (Ire)
(600,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT)
O-Saeed Suhail; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs; T-Sir Michael Stoute; J-Kieren Fallon. Lifetime Record: 4-1-2-1, £16,462.
Last Start: 3rd May 7 Listed Lingfield Derby Trial
2 4 Algometer (GB) Archipenko
(140,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT)
O/B-Kirsten Rausing; T-David Simcock; J-Jim Crowley. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, £43,513.
Last Start: WON May 20 Listed Cocked Hat S.
3 7 Biodynamic (Ire) New Approach (Ire)
(80,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT)
O-Hubert John Strecker; B-Lodge Park Stud; T-Karl Burke; J-Dougie Costello. Lifetime Record: 4-1-0-1, £26,631.
Last Start: 4th May 5 G3 Chester Vase
4 14 Cloth of Stars (Ire) Sea the Stars (Ire)
(400,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT)
O-Godolphin SNC; B-Peter Anastasiou; T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-1, £178,199.
Last Start: WON May 8 G2 Prix Greffulhe
5 12 Deauville (Ire) Galileo (Ire)
O-Fitri Hay, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Mrs Fitri Hay; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Jamie Spencer. Lifetime Record: 5-2-2-0, £99,268.
Last Start: 2nd May 12 G2 Dante S.
6 9 Harzand (Ire) Sea the Stars (Ire)
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC; T-Dermot Weld; J-Pat Smullen. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, £31,004.
Last Start: WON Apr. 10 G3 Ballysax S.
7 2 Humphrey Bogart (Ire) Tagula (Ire)
(€29,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; £33,000 Ylg '14 DNPRM)
O-Chelsea Thoroughbreds (Saint Tropez); B-Ringfort Stud; T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey. Lifetime Record: 8-2-2-1, £141,816.
Last Start: WON May 7 Listed Lingfield Derby Trial
8 8 Idaho (Ire) Galileo (Ire)
(750,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT)
O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Hveger Syndicate; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. Lifetime Record: 4-1-1-1, £34,891.
Last Start: 3rd May 8 G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial
9 11 Massaat (Ire) Teofilo (Ire)
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd; T-Owen Burrows; J-Paul Hanagan. Lifetime Record: 4-1-3-0, £222,624.
Last Start: 2nd Apr. 30 G1 2000 Guineas
10 1 Moonlight Magic (GB) Cape Cross (Ire)
O-Godolphin; B-Darley; T-Jim Bolger; J-Kevin Manning. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, £74,365.
Last Start: WON May 8 G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial
11 10 Port Douglas (Ire) Galileo (Ire)
O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Walzerkoenigin Syndicate; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Colm O'Donoghue. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-0, £95,709.
Last Start: 2nd May 5 G3 Chester Vase
12 16 Red Verdon Lemon Drop Kid
($85,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; 90,000gns 2yo '15 TATBRE)
O-The Hon R J Arculli; B-Liberty Road Stables; T-Ed Dunlop; J-Silvestre de Sousa. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, £25,035.
Last Start: WON May 21 Haydock handicap
13 5 Shogun (Ire) Fastnet Rock (Aus)
(€400,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB)
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Anne-Marie O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Donnacha O'Brien. Lifetime Record: 8-1-1-2, £42,734.
Last Start: 5th May 21 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas
14 3 Ulysses (Ire) Galileo (Ire)
O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd; T-Sir Michael Stoute; J-Andrea Atzeni. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, £7,335.
Last Start: WON May 13 Newbury maiden
15 15 US Army Ranger (Ire) Galileo (Ire)
O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, £49,316.
Last Start: WON May 5 G3 Chester Vase
16 13 Wings of Desire (GB) Pivotal (GB)
O/B-Lady Bamford; T-John Gosden; J-Frankie Dettori. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, £94,788.
Last Start: WON May 12 G2 Dante S.
All carry 126 pounds.