Epictetus out to boost Derby claims in Epsom trial
Epsom's Blue Riband Trial will typically provide pointers to the Betfred Derby but may further boost the form of 2,000 Guineas favourite Auguste Rodin, with Vertem Futurity second Epictetus heading the betting for the Listed event.
John Gosden described his Derby hope as "a grand sort for next year" in the aftermath of his defeat to Auguste Rodin, having previously finished second to Silver Knott in the Autumn Stakes, and the other half of the training partnership is pleased with how he's developed since.
Thady Gosden said: "He ran well at the back end of the year in the Vertem against the current favourite for the Guineas. He's done well from two to three and although it's a small field there's definitely some smart horses in there, as there should be.
"We think stepping up in trip to a mile and a quarter shouldn't be a problem to him and this is usually a solid trial which gives him a feel of the track at Epsom."
Stormbuster: will be partnered by Oisin Murphy for the first time at Epsom
Stormbuster rounded off his two-year-old campaign in the Vertem, finishing last of the eight runners on what became somewhat specialist heavy ground. Andrew Balding and Jeff Smith will surely be hoping that any rain is at the lower end of the forecast range.
While the market principals were both tried at the highest level, there are a pair of less exposed rivals in behind who could be ready to take a step forward on their first career starts on turf.
Hadrianus scored at the second time of asking over one mile and three furlongs for Charlie Johnston. It's a slight surprise to discover that the Kingsley House team have yet to win the Blue Riband – Stars Over The Sea, Dee Ex Bee and Permian have all been placed in the last decade – though their bid is aided by the booking of William Buick, who is seeking a hat-trick in the race.
Intricacy made a start on justifying a loft €750,000 yearling price tag when improving one place on his debut second at Woverhampton in December. The mount of James Doyle, he carries the black and yellow-striped silks of the increasingly influential Bahraini owners KHK Racing.
Think First won twice on the all-weather at Chelmsford as a two-year-old but was only a moderate sixth on his final start of the campaign in the Listed Silver Tankard at Pontefract. He represents James Tate, who won this race ten years ago with Mirsaale.
The only filly in the field is Cite D'Or, who handled the course well enough when just touched off here in September but was no match for the highly-regarded Pensee Du Jour on soft ground at Saint-Cloud last time.
Mum's the word among four sons of brilliant racemares
It's no surprise to see stallions such as Kingman, Dubawi and Epsom hero Galileo siring contenders for a Classic trial, but there is an unusual concentration of top class mares represented by their sons here, with a quartet of names that will trigger fond memories for all but the most recent converts to the sport.
Owned and bred by George Strawbridge, Epictetus is out of the Thistle Bird, who was beaten a neck the 2013 Nassau Stakes before claiming her Group 1 day in the sun at the Curragh in the Pretty Polly Stakes for the late Lady Rothschild and Roger Charlton.
Stormbuster is a son to Jeff Smith's redoubtable Barshiba, whose successes included the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks, all despite the fact she only had sight in one eye. She has already produced one champion in Arabian Queen, who shocked Golden Horn at 50-1 in the 2015 International Stakes.
Golden Valentine: dam of Intricacy and a top-class three-year-old
Intricacy's dam Golden Valentine might not ring too many bells among British and Irish racegoers but the daughter of Dalakhani was a top-class three-year-old for Freddy Head in the colours of her American owners, LNJ Foxwoods. The finest moment for the graceful grey – who is from the immediate family of Head's star miler Goldikova – came when sweeping past The Juliet Rose to claim the Prix Minerve over a mile and a half at Deauville.
The highlight of Laugh Out Loud's career also came in France, with Mich Channon sending her to Chantilly to land the Group 2 Prix Sandringham over a mile in 2012. She was third in the Sun Chariot at the end of that year before transferring first to Jean-Claude Rouget and later Chad Brown. Her son Hadrianus looks to be taking after his sire Galileo, having already won at further than today's trip.
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