Epsom Derby draws 12

There are 12 runners headed for the 231st running of the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), Britain's

premier classic which will take place Saturday at Epsom Downs.

The only withdrawals this morning were made by trainer Aidan O'Brien, who took

out three of his six five-day acceptors as expected -- St Nicholas Abbey

(Montjeu [Ire]), Cape

Blanco (Galileo [Ire]) and Bright Horizon (Galileo [Ire]).

O'Brien is represented by Group 1 scorer and 7-4 favorite JAN VERMEER

(Montjeu [Ire]), Derby Trial (Ire-G2) winner MIDAS TOUCH (Galileo [Ire]) (11-2) and pacemaker

AT FIRST SIGHT (Galileo [Ire]) (150-1), all

owned by Coolmore partnerships. The odds are offered by totesport, the official

betting partner of Epsom Downs.

"Jan Vermeer has been the best-backed horse bar none in the Investec Derby

market over the past week or so but it could just be that punters think the

value has dried up as we are beginning to see quite a bit of support for those

just behind him in the market. Midas Touch has been the one punters have wanted

to be with this afternoon and Aidan O'Brien's colt is now 11-2 (from 6-1) with totesport,"

said George Primarolo, spokesman for totesport.

Godolphin also has three runners -- REWILDING (Tiger Hill) (15-2), BUZZWORD (GB)

(Pivotal) (50-1) and AL ZIR (Medaglia d'Oro) -- with the

latter coming in for support over the last 24 hours and Kieren Fallon's

mount is now a 20-1 shot from 25-1. Rewilding and Buzzword, both trained by

Mahmood Al Zarooni, were added to the Epsom Derby on Monday as supplementary

entries at at a cost of £75,000 each. This increased the Investec Derby's prize

money to £1,359,000, making the 1 1/2-mile classic the richest race by far

in Britain and Ireland this year.

Rewilding won the listed Cocked Hat S. at Goodwood by four

lengths on May 19, while Buzzword stayed on well toward the end to be fourth in the Poule

d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) (Fr-G1) going a mile at

Longchamp on May 16.

Al Zir, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, disappointed when ninth in the first

colts' classic, the English Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket on May 1, but was a

good two-year-old, as evidenced by his third in the Racing Post Trophy (Eng-G1). Frankie Dettori rides Rewilding, while Ahmed Ajtebi is on

Buzzword.

Newmarket-based Mark Tompkins sent out TED SPREAD (Beat Hollow [GB]) (33-1) to score in the Chester Vase

S. (Eng-G3) on May 6 at Chester. The trainer traveled to Epsom on Thursday, walked the

Epsom Derby course and

declared Ted Spread certain to line-up on Saturday. Tompkins had warned he would withdraw the colt if the ground proved too

quick, but after a tour of the track in partnership with joint-owner Gary Petit,

Tompkins committed his runner.

"It's good, good to firm in places," Tompkins said of the going. "Barring

accidents the horse will run. The breeze is blowing and it's drying, but I've

been told they might put a bit of water on after racing tomorrow.

"Ted Spread is fine -- he did

a couple of canters this morning and will have a blow tomorrow."

Ted Spread's trio of owners "will take off and disappear for three months" if

their horse wins the big race, according to co-owner Ger Barrett, who with Petit

and Steve Ashley go by the name of the False Nose 'N Glasses Partnership.

"We came up with the name at one

o'clock in the morning over a few drinks," Barrett explained their pseudonym. "We've got three very understanding

wives, but we've owned shares in greyhounds and horses and felt we might be

pushing the boat a bit far with this one."

Petit confirmed the tale, and added: "I said 'What if the horse proves good

enough to go to a big race meeting on the telly -- we'll have to go in false

noses and glasses', and the name stuck."

Both men will be at Epsom on Saturday with the blessing of their wives,

Oonagh and Kelly, although Ashley works for Japan's Nomura Bank and is currently

in Tokyo. He and Barrett are financial traders, while Petit runs a brokering

company. All three have enjoyed success in racing -- Petit and Ashley had shares in

Royal Ascot winner Missoula, while Petit's Quipe Me Posted won for Jonjo

O'Neill's stable on Sunday at Uttoxeter.

They called their Epsom Derby runner Ted Spread "because we wanted part of

the name to reflect what we do work wise -- and it turned out Gary's

father-in-law is called Ted," Barrett said. "Winning at Chester was incredible

-- the best day ever -- but being

at Epsom with a Derby runner could top it. Just to see his name among the

original 380 entries was a great feeling, and now to be down to the final 12 is

hard to believe. Being objective, he has to improve 12 to 14 pounds, but he is

improving."

Petit concurred with that view.

"It's

beautiful," he said on his first visit to Epsom. "I look at all the ups and downs and think what could be

-- it will be

brilliant to be here among so many big owners. We're in it for fun, not money, and the horse has the heart of a lion.

Seeing Missoula win at Royal Ascot was special, but this crowns everything."

Henry Cecil and Sir Michael Stoute are the most successful current trainers

in the Epsom Derby, with both Newmarket handlers having enjoyed four

victories. This year Cecil is set to be represented by BULLET TRAIN (Sadler's

Wells) (6-1), the

impressive winner of the May 8 Derby Trial S. (Eng-G3) at Lingfield Park, while Stoute's chance of gaining a fifth success in the

classic rests

with WORKFORCE (King's Best) (5-1), who was runner-up to Cape Blanco (Galileo [Ire]) in the Dante S.

(Eng-G2) at York on May 13.

Other Derby-winning trainers likely to be represented in the 2010 renewal

include John Gosden, successful with Benny the Dip in 1997 who has left in

Dee S. (Eng-G3) scorer AZMEEL (Azamour [Ire]) (12-1), while Michael Bell, who saddled Motivator

to triumph in 2005, plans to run COORDINATED CUT (Montjeu [Ire]) (20-1), who landed the valuable

Tattersalls Timeform 3-Y-O Trophy at Newmarket in April and was third in the

Dante.

The Michael Jarvis-trained HOT PROSPECT (Motivator) (50-1), third to both Bullet Train and

Coordinated Cut this season, completes the Epsom Derby field.

Andrew Cooper, Clerk of the Course and Director of Racing, on Thursday described the going as

good, good to firm in places.

"The ground walks to me as good, good to firm in

places and I hope it rides like that tomorrow," Cooper said Thursday. "It is mainly good, with a few quicker places on the climb up the back

straight. The temperature has reached 21 or 22 degrees (Celsius) today and it has also

been quite breezy so it has dried a bit during the course of the day.

"I have no definite plan about watering -- I am open minded. It is not out of

the question that we will put some water on after racing tomorrow. If we did anything, it would probably just concern the home straight -- the

final three and a half furlongs or so. That area would take water OK but I would

be wary of putting anything on the downhill section overnight.

"I will make a decision about whether to water during racing (on Friday)."