Thursday, June 8, 2000
BEST PRICES FOR EPSOM TOMORROW
Vodafone Network Handicap, 7f, 2.40
Shouf Al Badou-25 T
Strasbourg-22 L, WH
Qamous-9 C
Atalantic Rhapsody-8 L, T
Iyavaya-L, T
Rendition-100/30 C
Ogilia-18 T
Masterpiece-7 L
Knocktopher Abbey-28 T
Lord Pacal-33 WH
Chapel Royale-40 C, L, WH
Zietzig-16 C, L, T, WH
Pays D'Amour-11 C, T
Peacock Alley-15/2 WH
Sarena Pride-16 L
Proud Chief-33 T
I Promise You-25 C, WH
Vodafone Oaks, 1m 4f, 4.00
Bluebell Wood-200 C, L, T, WH
Clipper-40 L, T
Clog Dance-40 T
Corinium-28 C, L
Croesco Cariad-100 C, L, T, WH
Dollar Bird-80 C
Gold Round-33 C
Kalypso Katie-7/2 C
Lady Upstage-25 C, L, T, WH
Love Divine-2 T
Melikah-9 L, T, WH
Miletrian-28 C
Petrushka-5 C
Premier Prize-100 C, L, WH
Solaia-40 T, WH
So Precious-150 C, L, T, WH
Teggiano-25 T, WH
Whitefoot-12 L
Vodafone Distribution Handicap, 1m 2f, 4.40
Pythos-13/2 T
Calcutta-14 C, L
Cardiff Arms-25 WH
Free Option-11 T
Pantar-10 T
Welsh Wind-16 WH
Tayseer-6 T
China Red-18 WH
Volontiers-12 C
Mister Rambo-18 C
Fallachan-9 WH
Naviasky-10 L, T
Prince Slayer-28 C, WH
Scene-22 L
Eastern Champ-25 C
Song Of Skye-28 L
Hibernate-20 T
C=Coral L=Ladbrokes T=Tote WH=William Hill
KING'S BEST INJURY SCARE
Vodafone Derby favourite King's Best has been involved in an eleventh hour injury scare ahead of Saturday's race.
The Kingmambo colt was found to be dragging his left hind toe when trotting today.
Joe Mercer, racing manager to Saheed Suhail, stated that King's Best was currently undergoing therapy and that a decision would be made tomorrow morning.
FINAL DECLARATIONS FOR THE VODAFONE DERBY
THE VODAFONE DERBY
Class A, Group 1, 3.50pm, Saturday, June 10, 2000 , 1 million total prize fund, one mile four furlongs, three-year-old entire colts & fillies. Weights: colts 9st, fillies 8st 9lb. Entries closed December 2, 1998 (601 entries), first forfeit stage March 7, 2000 (171 entries remained), entries revealed March 17, second entry stage April 12 (7 entries added), second forfeit stage May 24 (32 entries remain), 75,000 supplementary entry stage June 3, five-day confirmation stage June 5 (20 entries remained), final declaration stage 10am, June 8 (16 entries remain (Form figures may not include some overseas racing and are correct up to and include Monday, June 6, 2000).
Form Horse/Draw Owner Trainer/Probable Jockey
1)11-3 ARISTOTLE (IRE) (8) Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE/Michael Kinane
2)10112-134 BARATHEA GUEST(6) John Guest George Margarson/Philip Robinson
3)1-1 BEAT HOLLOW (10) Khalid Abdulla Henry Cecil/Richard Quinn
4)312-3 BEST OF THE BESTS (IRE) (3) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor/Chris McCarron
5)1-705 BROCHE (USA) (2) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor/Christophe Soumillon
6)052-431 CRACOW (IRE) (16) Nick Browne, F R Watts,Mrs Peter Caroe and John Hills John Hills/Michael Hills
7)31-132 GOING GLOBAL (IRE) (5) Dwayne Woods Sean Woods/John Reid
8)-5 HATHA ANNA (IRE) (9) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor/Kevin Darley
9)1-4 INCHLONAIG (13) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor/Pat Eddery
10)115-21 KING'S BEST (USA) (1) Saeed Suhail Sir Michael Stoute/Kieren Fallon
11)114323-15 KINGSCLERE (12) Michael Tabor Ian Balding/Olivier Peslier
12)411-11 SAKHEE (USA) (7) Hamdan Al Maktoum John Dunlop/Richard Hills
13)11-21 SINNDAR (IRE) (15) HH Aga Khan John Oxx IRE/Johnny Murtagh
14)3-2712 ST EXPEDIT (4) John Pearce Geoff Wragg/Richard Hughes
15)3-11 WELLBEING (14) Exors of late Lord Howard de Walden Henry Cecil/Willie Ryan
16)213-233 ZYZ (11) Bill Gredley Barry Hills/Jimmy Fortune
16 entries remain after final declaration stage.
2 Irish-trained.
McCARRON SAYS EPSOM AND THE DERBY ARE "HUGE"
Chris McCarron, the top American jockey who is to ride Best Of The Bests for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation in the Vodafone Derby on Saturday, left no doubt about how highly he thought of the ride and the race when he spoke at Epsom this afternoon.
Having walked the course with Sheikh Mohammed, Godolphin's racing manager Simon Crisford, trainer Saeed bin Suroor and asistant trainer Tom Albertrani, McCarron described the whole exercise as "huge".
"It is a very impressive place and there is a tremendous amount of prestige associated with riding in the race," said the rider. "Though I must admit that I wish I was doing so in different circumstances and that I was riding part of an entry with Frankie.
"It was the biggest compliment I could receive to be asked to ride in the Derby by Sheikh Mohammed; I was very surprised and pleased to get the invitation. Sheikh Mohammed is the most influential owner in the world.
"I think this is bigger than the Kentucky Derby. In America the Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar along with the Super Bowl and the World Championship, but the history of racing from Epsom and the Derby makes it more prestigious.
"I remember the course from when I rode here before (on Bold Arrangement in 1986) and recall how steep the climb and the camber are, but it has been very helpful to be able to have a refresher and get another look at it. There was not time to do that when I came here for Bold Arrangement, as I just had one ride round the course on the Friday before the race when I rode Bold Arrangement after Clive Brittain had collected me from the airport that morning.
"I have already spoken to Frankie (Dettori) once about the idiosyncrasies and the likes and dislikes of the horses, but I have not yet spoken to him about tactics. We shall talk about that tomorrow morning.
"I don't have any plans to speak to Lester Piggott, though I would listen to anything he had to say, and Gary Stevens, who rode in the race last year, has also been able to help me. But he has ridden in only one Derby, so I think I may have more faith in what Frankie tells me!
"I also have two tapes of past Derbys which I shall look at to see how horses get themselves positioned after the start, how they are placed leaving the gate and how and if they are dropped out.....
"There is always tremendous interest back home in the Derby among racing people and we are able to see more and more international races as more networks are taking them to show. Racing people are becoming increasingly interested in international racing and a lot of that is down to Sheikh Mohammed. I am not here to toot his trumpet but when he started the World Cup in 1996, US horsemen had nothing but praise for what he achieved. The number one curiosity in racing is ‘how good is a horse?' and the more international competition there is the better that question can be answered.
"I have not ridden a great number of horses for Sheikh Mohammed in the States, and the best of them was Quiet American, who was due to run in the Breeders' Cup in New York in the 90s, but was not able to do so because he did not have enough points to make the cut.
"So he was re-routed to the NYRA Mile the following week and won, breaking the track record, and afterwards his trainer Gary Jones was very scathing about the selection process for the Breeders' Cup. You can see why."
Simon Crisford reiterated the Godolphin view that Best Of The Bests was their major hope for the race, though he admitted that the colt had yet to prove that he will stay the mile and a half. "He has to be our best chance, but we do not know if he will stay the mile and a half; his optimum trip could be ten furlongs. He is much improved since York (when the colt was third in the Dante), and though he was not very well behaved in the pre-parade at York, he was much better when Saeed took him to Newmarket on Saturday when they were racing there.
"He has worked with Inchlonaig over a mile and has always beaten him, but that was over a mile and over a mile and a half it could be quite a different chapter. Inchlonaig is a real mile and a half horse, as are Hatha Anna and Broche -- they are all rock solid mile and a half horses. We don't know if Best Of The Bests will stay but he is a classic horse.
"He has certainly improved since York. He went there very undercooked, having not trained for most of the winter and not run in any of the trials in Dubai. He was not ready for the race mentally or physically.
"I think that the race will be run at an honest pace from start to finish and a horse will have to get
the trip to win. Inchlonaig definitely needs a mile and a half, but the last two furlongs may be difficult for Best Of The Bests, and if we get the threatened rain tomorrow and the track is softer on Saturday it will become even more of a stamina question for him. He can handle the soft, as he showed when he was just beaten in it at Ascot last year, but it may make it harder for him to stay the mile and a half. As things are now the ground is perfect for all four of our horses.
"We have a decent chance and, having won the race once with Lammtarra, we are even keener to do so a second time."
Saeed bin Suroor confirmed Crisford's thoughts about Best Of The Bests' stamina. "Inchlonaig showed when he was working in Dubai in the winter that he will need a mile and a half, but the last two furlongs could be difficult for Best Of The Bests," he said.
Bin Suroor also spoke about the two Godolphin fillies' in tomorrow's Vodafone Oaks. "Teggiano has had a problem with an ankle but she has trained very well since then and is ready for tomorrow. A mile and a half will suit her. Melikah needed her first race (the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket), which she won and a mile and a half and maybe more will be her best trip. She has been working well and will run a big race."
GROUND IS "PERFECT"
NO WATERING PLANNED
Epsom Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper said this morning that he considers the going for the Vodafone Derby meeting "is perfect for Flat racing and very consistent over the entire mile and a half - It is straightforward good ground."
There are no plans to water the course from now on because the weather forecast suggests the distinct possibility of heavy, thundery showers at any time from late on Friday morning onwards, which could produce up to 20 millimetres of rain.
The London Weather Centre in Clerkenwell Road, with which Cooper and his assistant Brian Clifford have been in constant touch, indicates that though Thursday will remain dry, there is a serious likelihood of rain at any time from 11am on Friday. This is likely to produce a minimum of five millimetres, maybe ten, of rain and if it becomes more intense later in the day, as seems possible, there could be an overall total of about 20 millimetres, which is over three quarters of an inch.
"In view of this forecast and the state of the course as it is now, we could not sensibly and safely water when there is the possibility of three-quarters of an inch of rain to come. And even if there is no rain at all, I am sure the track will be no worse than on the fast side of good, with maybe one or two places where it could be good to firm," said Cooper. "What we have done has been appropriate and sensible for the conditions and with the forecast we cannot water any more.
"The last rain we had was on Tuesday, when there were several heavy showers between 3pm and 7.30pm, which produced nine millimetres and was the first appreciable rain there had been since May 27.
"Since then we have been keeping the track in that condition with light watering. We covered the whole Derby course once in total on Friday of last week and then, on Monday and Tuesday of this week, putting on about six millimetres (a quarter of an inch) on the entire mile and a half.
"The penetrometer reading this morning was 4.1. The highest it has been this week has been 4.3 after that rain on Tuesday, and the lowest 3.8 on that morning before the rain came. If there is no rain between now and the Derby, I would expect a penetrometer reading of 3.9 for the Derby. After all the rain we have had this spring, there is a lot of moisture below the surface and a very good cushion to the ground."
Cooper reported that the last six furlongs of the track will be dolled out for up to six yards for tomorrow's racing so that there will be fresh ground for Vodafone Derby day. He anticipates that this will make a difference of about ten yards to the distance of the races which are affected by the dolling out.
WILLIAM HILL PRICES CORRECT AT 15.30 (GMT) 8/06/2000
A spokesman said: "Because of the 48-hour declaration stage for the VodafoneDerby, the doubts over King's Best have thrown punters and bookmakers alike in to a state of confusion.
"Because of the declaration stage, all bets are now effectively NR-No Bet and therefore, Hill's have reverted to their original betting this morning and will take a rule 4 deduction if King's Best is withdrawn."
THE VODAFONE DERBY: 11-4 King's Best, 10-3 Beat Hollow, 9-2 Aristotle, 7-1 Sakhee, 9-1 Sinndar, 10-1 Best Of The Bests, 14-1 Wellbeing, 20-1 Barathea Guest, Kingsclere, 33-1 Inchlonaig, 40-1 Going Global, St Expedit, 50-1 Broche, 66-1 Hatha Anna, Zyz, 100-1 Cracow,
O'BRIEN VISITS BUT NO HORSES EXPECTED
Aidan O'Brien, who will saddle Aristotle for the Vodafone Derby on Saturday, visited the course on Wednesday evening.
"He came here with John and Sue Magnier and they walked the course," reported Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper. "Aidan said that he was very happy with the course as it was then for Aristotle, but he would be concerned if it dried up too much between then and Vodafone Derby day."
For the first time in Cooper's memory, there will be no horses working on the course before the Vodafone Derby meeting. "As far as I can recall, that is totally unprecedented," he declared.
GUEST CONFIRMED FOR EPSOM
Barathea Guest, third behind King's Best in the Sagitta 2000 Guineas has been given the go-ahead to run in Saturday's Vodafone Derby.
Tim Corby, racing manager to owner John Guest stated: "Barathea Guest breezed impressively under Philip Robinson on Wednesday and he is in great spirit. He will run at Epsom on Saturday."
HIGH-RISE TO MAKE US DEBUT
High-Rise, victorious in the 1998 renewal of the Vodafone Derby, makes his debut in the United States on Saturday when he lines for the Grade Two Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park in New York.
The Godolphin owned horse recored his first success since Epsom at Nad Al Sheba February but was subsequently injured when third Fantastic Light in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba on March 25.
John Valazquez will take the ride.
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