Epsom Downs Racecourse

There are now 93 entries for the £1.5-million G1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs on June 4, following the close of the latest entry stage. Godolphin's Listed Cazoo Blue Riband Trial winner Nahanni (GB) (Frankel {GB}) earned an automatic berth to the Classic, while the runner-up, Susan Roy's Grand Alliance (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), and Glory Daze (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), a maiden winner at The Curragh for the Glory Gold Partnership, were added to the nominations at a cost of £12,000 each. Also entered in the Derby are the undefeated...

Godolphin's Nahanni (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who bettered a Jan. 8 first-up second over 12 furlongs at Kempton with a breakthrough tally over that same course and distance the following month, prevailed by nine lengths going 12 furlongs in an Apr. 1 Leicester novices' heat on turf debut last time and continued his march forward with a battling victory in Tuesday's Listed Cazoo Blue Riband Trial at Epsom. Sent to the front after extended early skirmishes and nudged along on the lead with three furlongs remaining, he came under a drive...

British and Irish racing will participate in 17 World Pool events in 2022 with racing fans from around the world betting on the sport's most prestigious flat racing festivals. The race days have record prize money available of £28.4 million and include Cazoo Oaks Day at Epsom Downs for the first time. As a collaboration of global Totes, World Pool enables racing fans from all over the globe to bet into a single pool. A World Pool "Moment of the Day" will be awarded by an industry representative at the...

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who won the G3 Acomb S. and G2 Royal Lodge S. in succession in August and September, respectively, has developed well this winter and is likely to try the G1 Cazoo Derby route, according to co-trainer Charlie Johnston. Eighth in the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy S. on Oct. 23 where he picked up an injury, the bay has been recuperating, but looks more of a "mile-and-a-quarter-plus" horse to Johnston and his co-trainer father Mark. Originally, the training duo had pencilled in...

He was the third-string of Godolphin, the outsider of all the colts by Frankel (GB), was drawn in the hoodoo one stall and ridden by the jockey who was banished from one of the more-fancied horses, but in the final reckoning on Saturday Godolphin's Adayar (Ire) was utterly dominant in Epsom's G1 Cazoo Derby. Highly encouraging when runner-up in the Apr. 23 G3 Sandown Classic Trial, the powerful bay was less so when in the same spot in the May 8 Lingfield Derby Trial and had subsequently gone into the...

Aidan O'Brien saddled five in Friday's G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom, but ultimately there was only one that mattered as Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) ran away with the prize by a record-setting margin of 16 lengths under Frankie Dettori. Serving notice that she had turned around her fortunes from a largely disappointing juvenile campaign when making all in the G3 Musidora S. at York May 12, the 11-2 shot arrived from rear under a tight hold to brush aside Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) passing two out. Sprinting...

Only 11th behind Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last year's G1 Epsom Derby, Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) put that sour experience firmly behind him on Friday when returning to register a career-best success in the G1 Coral Coronation Cup. Showing his class when successful in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot and the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at York last term, the bay who races for the new William Muir-Chris Grassick training partnership had been sharpened by his seasonal debut when runner-up in the G2 Jockey...

Epsom Downs will receive more water on Wednesday morning, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. Epsom Downs Clerk of the Course and Head of Racing Andrew Cooper issued a going update on Tuesday evening in advance of the June 4-5 Cazoo Derby Festival. "We've maintained a going report here of Good, Good To Firm in places and we produced a Turftrax GoingStick reading of 7.1, which is actually what it was on Sunday morning," said Cooper in a statement. "It had increased to 7.4 yesterday morning and the watering that we've...

Irrigation has started on select portions of the Epsom Downs in advance of the Cazoo Derby Festival on June 4-5. The ground is currently good, good to firm in places, and the forecast is looking less and less likely for rain. "At nine o'clock yesterday morning I'd have called the ground good," said Epsom Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper. "Yesterday was a dry, sunny day here. Temperatures got up to about 20 degrees--and it was a lovely, sunny afternoon. "We dried out a bit more--and as of nine o'clock...

Trainer Roger Varian has one colt and a trio of fillies pointing to the G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 Cazoo Oaks on June 5 and 4, respectively. However, Varian, who has only had a single Derby starter previously when second with Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in 2014, is very aware of the unique challenge the Epsom Downs offers to young 3-year-olds. "I think it's a fascinating Derby," said Varian, who recently saddled his 1,000th winner. "It looks an open Derby and a very good Derby. There are a lot...

The Cazoo Derby Festival on June 4-5 and Coral-Eclipse Day on July 3 both received an increase in prize money, The Jockey Club announced on Tuesday. Limited spectators returning to racecourses, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was cited for the increases. Held at Epsom Downs Racecourse, the Cazoo Derby Festival's purses were increased 12% across the 11 non-Group 1 races. None of the races over the two-day stand will be run for less than £40,000 and no handicaps will be worth less than £50,000. The Cazoo Derby is still worth...

It was a clear-record eighth G1 Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday for Aidan O'Brien, but not necessarily with the expected one as Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) went off on his own under Emmet McNamara and did a "Slip Anchor" to score by 5 1/2 lengths. Always clear at the head of affairs, the previous Saturday's nine-length Curragh maiden winner was still dangerously out of reach swinging around Tattenham Corner and kept grinding to lead home a shock trifecta. Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), Andrew Balding's second string behind...