The final field of 12 for the 239th £1,500,000 Gr1 Investec Derby to be run at Epsom on Saturday and sponsored by the banking giant for the tenth time in 2018, has been announced.
Longshot 2017 winner Wings Of Honour and Padraig Beggy
The race will be run at 17h30 and will be broadcast live on Tellytrack, Dstv 239.
Aidan O’Brien voiced his fears yesterday about the prospect of soft ground believing conditions would not be ideal for his five runners, headed by odds-on favourite and Triple Crown hopeful Saxon Warrior.
Similar going concerns were expressed by Roaring Lion’s trainer John Gosden, with the chief market rival to Saxon Warrior easing to 6-1 (from 5) after 21 millimetres of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday raised the prospect of the first soft-ground Derby for 30 years.
Aidan O’Brien (photo: Coolmore)
With easy underfoot conditions expected at the weekend, Hazapour and Delano Roosevelt were on cut to 10-1 (from 12) and 12-1 (from 14) for Classic success.
Delano Roosevelt forms part of O’Brien’s Derby quintet but with more rain forecast the trainer is expecting conditions to be far from ideal.
“We’d like nice ground for our Derby horses as soft ground wouldn’t be ideal for any of them,” he said.
Jockey Padraig Beggy, who had contemplated hanging up his boots before he made his first ride in the world-famous race a winning one in 2017, when getting the 40-1 chance Wings Of Eagles home to give Aidan O’Brien a sixth Derby success, will partner Zabriskie for the same yard on Saturday.
1 (6) Dee Ex Bee Mark Johnston 9st 0lb Silvestre De Sousa
2 (4) Delano Roosevelt (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Seamie Heffernan
3 (3) Hazapour (IRE) D. K. Weld, Ireland 9st 0lb Frankie Dettori
4 (12) Kew Gardens (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Donnacha O’Brien
5 (2) Knight To Behold (IRE) Harry Dunlop 9st 0lb Richard Kingscote
6 (10) Masar (IRE) Charlie Appleby 9st 0lb William Buick
7 (5) Roaring Lion (USA) John Gosden 9st 0lb Oisin Murphy
8 (1) Saxon Warrior (JPN) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Ryan Moore
9 (7) Sevenna Star (IRE) John Gosden 9st 0lb Robert Havlin
10 (11) The Pentagon (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Wayne Lordan
11 (9) Young Rascal (FR) William Haggas 9st 0lb James Doyle
12 (8) Zabriskie (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Padraig Beggy
