Dawn Approach added to Derby field

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Red-hot QIPCO 2000 Guineas favourite, Dawn Approach, featured among a record 17 second stage entries for this year’s Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday 1 June.

The second entry stage for the third Classic of the season and the second in the QIPCO British Champions Series middle distance category provides connections who did not enter at the initial yearling stage the opportunity to add three-year-olds to the field at a cost of £8,000. The unbeaten Dawn Approach, who would be aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps as a son of 2008 Epsom Derby winner New Approach, was last year’s European Champion Juvenile and was one of three second stage entries from the Godolphin operation.

UAE Derby runner-up Secret Number is an additional entry for Epsom glory for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, whilst his Newmarket colleague Mahmood Al Zarooni has added Steeler, who landed the Royal Lodge in 2012 when trained by Mark Johnston.

Sir Henry Cecil has won the Derby on four occasions, with Slip Anchor, Reference Point, Commander In Chief and Oath, and the legendary Newmarket handler has made second entries for three colts this year. Al Waab, who chased home Steeler to finish third in the Royal Lodge, is joined by the once-raced pair of Squire Osbaldsten and Morpheus, who is likely to attract plenty of interest as a half-brother to the mighty Frankel.

Fellow Newmarket trainer William Haggas has an enviable 100% strike rate in the Derby, having sent out his only runner in the famous contest, Shaamit, to score in 1996. This year Haggas has stumped up the second stage fee to enter the unraced Battalion, a son of 2007 Derby winner Authorized.

As well as Dawn Approach, there are two fellow Irish-trained entries at this stage. The Aga Khan-owned Zand was an impressive winner of a Leopardstown maiden in October and could aim to give trainer John Oxx a third triumph in the race after the successes of Sinndar and Sea The Stars. The Andy Oliver-trained First Cornerstone, owned by Team Valor whose runners include Dubai World Cup hero Animal Kingdom, has also been added after a juvenile season which saw him win two of his three starts and finish a creditable fourth to Kingsbarns in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.

"First Cornerstone is in the Investec Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club and the Irish Derby," said the County Tyrone- based Oliver. "The idea would be to start him off in a Derby trial and then we will pick out which one to go for from there. We will just weigh things up nearer the time but it gives us some options. Physically, he has done well over the winter. He had a nice long break and really enjoyed himself. He is not a huge horse, but he stands over a lot of ground and is a lovely, easy moving horse.”