{, class="collapsible collapsed" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="clear:right; float:right; text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" width="280px" ! colspan="3" style="border:1px solid black; background-color: #77DD77;" , Also Ran The 2016 Epsom Derby was the 237th annual running of the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and took place at

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

on 4 June 2016. The race was won by the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

's Harzand, ridden by

Pat Smullen Patrick Joseph Smullen (22 May 1977 – 15 September 2020), was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his ...

and trained in Ireland by

Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He holds the record for the most winners trained in Ireland (2,578 set in August 2000). Weld maintains his stable, Rosewell House, in C ...

. Harzand's victory was the first in the race for his jockey and trainer, and the fifth for his owner, who had prior wins with Shergar,

Shahrastani Shahrastani (1983–2011) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won four of his seven races between September 1985 and October 1986. He is best known for his performances in the summer of 1986 when he defeated Danc ...

Kahyasi Kahyasi (2 April 1985 – 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He won the first five races of his seven-race career, including the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby as a three-year-old in 1988. Backg ...

and Sinndar.

Race synopsis

Entries and race build-up

The initial entry for the 2016 Epsom Derby, announced in December 2014, consisted of 475 yearlings. Amongst the entries was a brother to the unbeaten Frankel, and a son of Midday. The number of entries was an increase of 66 on the initial entry for the 2015 race, and included 53 horses from the Godolphin Racing organisation and 77 from the Coolmore Stud. The number of potential runners was reduced to 136 at the first scratching date in March 2016 with Foundation (trained by John Gosden) and Midterm, the son of Midday, (

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

) heading the betting market at

odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

of 12 to 1. Aidan O'Brien trained 36 of the runners left in the race. A further 9 horses were added at the second entry stage in April 2016 at a cost of £8,000 per entry. The second entries included Carntop, bred and owned by Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The field began to take its final shape on 20 May when twenty-two horses were left entered at the final forfeit stage. Amongst those remaining in the race were trial winners US Army Ranger ( Chester Vase), Harzand (

Ballysax Stakes The Ballysax Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at Leopardstow ...

) and Moonlight Magic ( Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial) along with the Classic winner The Gurkha ( Poule d'Essai des Poulains) and

Awtaad Awtaad (foaled 1 February 2013) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a juvenile, winning a maiden race on his second racecourse appearance in October 2015. In the following spring he showed great improvement, winning the Madr ...

, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas just after the confirmations were announced. Thirteen of the remaining entries were trained in Ireland, including eight from Aidan O'Brien's stable. Final confirmations for the race took place on Monday 30 May leaving a potential field of eighteen runners.

Wings of Desire ''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its hu ...

, Cloth of Stars, Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon were supplemented at a cost of £75,000 and the additional entries made the prize money £1.45m and meant that the 2016 Derby would be the most valuable horse race ever staged in Great Britain.

and The Gurkha were both withdrawn at this stage. Some rain was forecast for the week prior to the race with Epsom

clerk of the course A clerk of the course is an official in various types of racing. Horse racing In horse racing, the clerk of the course is the person responsible for track management and raceday preparation at a racecourse. Important tasks of the role include: ...

Andrew Cooper saying ""There are bits and pieces of rain in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday but by the end of the week it’ll be getting drier and a bit warmer. If we get the 5mm, I expect the going will be at or near ‘good’ for Friday and a bit faster than that for Saturday." Bookmakers odds the following day suggested an open race with no clear-cut favourite. US Army Ranger and Wings of Desire quoted at 4 to 1 joint favourites by

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

with

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

and Cloth of Stars at 6 to 1. On Wednesday 1 June Cooper changed the going to "soft, good to soft in places" after 22mm of rain fell on Tuesday. Declarations for the race were made on Thursday 2 June and Aidan O'Brien withdrew both Beacon Rock and Bravery. There were no other withdrawals and a field of sixteen declared runners was left for the 2016 Derby. Early

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

plans for the race included Andrea Atzeni being booked for Michael Stoute's Ulysses on 21 May and Kieren Fallon booked for the same trainer's Across the Stars. Fallon won the Derby in 2003 on

Kris Kin Kris Kin (5 March 2000 – 31 August 2012) was a thoroughbred race horse and active sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in England during his racing career. In a career that lasted just over a year, from October 2002 to October ...

for Across the Star's owner, Saeed Suhail, also trained by Stoute.

Trial races

The first significant trial race for the 2016 Derby took place at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

on 10 April when a field of seven colts contested the

Ballysax Stakes The Ballysax Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at Leopardstow ...

. The race was won by the 2/1 favourite Harzand, trained by

. Harzand beat

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

by a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

and a quarter and was subsequently quoted at odds of between 16/1 and 25/1 for the Derby and his trainer stated he would be "keeping an open mind" about targets for the colt. Jockey

felt that Harzand was "... too big and heavy for Epsom. He is more of an Irish Derby horse and the St Leger distance would be ideal." Epsom staged the

Investec Derby Trial The Blue Riband Trial Stakes is a Conditions races, Listed Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlon ...

on 20 April. Although the race is run on the same racecourse as the Derby itself and gives a free entry to the Derby for the winner, it "struggles to attract leading Derby contenders". The 2016 race failed to improve this reputation as it was won by a

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

, So Mi Dar, whose trainer John Gosden intended to run her in the Epsom Oaks. So Mi Dar subsequently won the

Musidora Stakes The Musidora Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...

but was ruled out of the Oaks by injury. The favourite for the Derby Trial, Claudio Monteverdi, finished fourth and appeared uncomfortable on the Epsom track. On 22 April the Bet365 Classic Trial was run at

Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...

. The race saw the seasonal debut of Midterm, one of the winter favourites for the Derby, who started at odds of 8/11 for this race. Midterm, ridden by Ryan Moore, won by one and a half lengths from Algometer and his odds for the Derby were subsequently reduced to 6/1 by some bookmakers. The horse's trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, felt that Midterm had to run well to even consider a run in the Derby and stated that the colt's next race would either be at Chester or York.

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

's Guineas Festival on 30 April and 1 May threw up three winners with possible Derby hopes. The

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

was won by

Galileo Gold Galileo Gold (foaled 31 January 2013) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old he won the Vintage Stakes and finished third in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère. On his three-year-old debut he won the classic 2000 Guineas and went on to ...

, owned by Sheikh Joaan Al Thani's Al Shaqab Racing. Galileo Gold was quoted after the race at odds of 6 to 1 for the Derby by the bookmakers William Hill and 10 to 1 by

Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...

. The same afternoon's Listed

Newmarket Stakes The Newmarket Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) on t ...

was won by Godolphin's

Hawkbill Hawkbill (foaled 6 March 2013) is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. During his racing career he competed in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Canada and Dubai. In 2015 he was beaten on his first two appearances but then ...

, trained by Charlie Appleby. Hawkbill won by a length and a quarter from Abdon with the favourite, Sky Kingdom, a further length away in third. Godolphin's racing manager, John Ferguson, said after the race that Hawkbill would be able to run over longer distances than the ten-furlong Newmarket Stakes, and that the Derby and its French equivalent the Prix du Jockey-Club were possible targets. The third race with an impact on the Derby betting was the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

, restricted to fillies, which was won by Minding, owned by Coolmore and trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien. Minding's three-and-a-half length win prompted the

bookmaking company to quote her at odds of 5 to 2 for the Derby "with a run", allowing gamblers to back her at those odds and have their stake refunded if she does not run in the race. O'Brien was non-committal when asked about future plans for Minding, stating that the

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

and Epsom Oaks were also possible targets, and saying that ""Obviously

he owners He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

will talk about that but all those things are open to her. I suppose they're going to talk about it and see what everyone wants to do." The first of two trials at

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

's May meeting was run on 5 May and was notable for the appearance of the Aidan O'Brien-trained

US Army Ranger United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

, favourite for the Derby itself, if Minding's odds were overlooked. US Army Ranger was sent off at odds of 4 to 11 and won by the narrow margin of a short head from Port Douglas, also trained by O'Brien. US Army Ranger's jockey Ryan Moore felt that the colt would improve for the run, saying "He's a baby, it's only his second run and he made his debut five weeks ago – he'll learn plenty." Bookmakers reacted by increasing US Army Ranger's Derby odds to a general 5 to 1, with Midterm favourite at 7 to 2. The second trial of the meeting, the Dee Stakes, took place on 6 May and had little bearing on the Derby betting as the winner, Viren's Army, does not have an entry in the classic. The owners, Middleham Park Racing, said after the race "Whether he's up to something like the Derby is debatable. There's no definite plan but we'll have a chat and see what there is for him." The Lingfield Derby Trial at Lingfield Park on 7 May provided another trial winner with no entry in the Derby when Humphrey Bogart beat Carntop by half a length. Humphrey Bogart's owners, Chelsea Thoroughbreds, suggested after the race that they would look at paying the £75,000 required to enter the colt for the Derby with representative Richard Morecambe saying "it appears to be a weaker year" and they were "very very temped" to enter. Trainer

Richard Hannon Jr. Richard Michael Hannon Jr. (born 21 November 1975) is a British racehorse trainer. He is the son of, and former assistant to, four time British flat racing Champion Trainer Richard Hannon Sr. He operates from the 160 capacity Herridge Racing Stab ...

said "We’ll sleep on it, that's what we should say". The day after the Lingfield trial Leopardstown staged the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial over 1 mile 2 furlongs. The victory went to Moonlight Magic, trained by Jim Bolger and ridden by Kevin Manning, Moolight Magic beat Shogun by a length and a quarter and was cut to odds of 16 to 1 for the Derby. Bolger favoured a run at Epsom in his post-race comments, saying "I have to discuss it with the mentors, and arrive at a decision, but I would love to go...he's a very versatile horse, he could operate from a mile to a mile and a half, and is a very classic horse – the dam is a half-sister to

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

and

Sea the Stars Sea The Stars (foaled 6 April 2006) is a retired champion Irish Thoroughbred racehorse regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes – the first colt to accomplish this treble ...

. I’ll respect the opposition, but I won't fear them … as usual." Sunday 8 May also saw a major trial race in France, the

Prix Greffulhe The Prix Greffulhe is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles) at Saint-Cloud in May. History The eve ...

at Saint-Cloud. Godolphin Racing's Cloth Of Stars, trained by André Fabre won by two and a half lengths from Robin Of Navan. Cloth Of Stars is not entered for the Derby but Godolphin's chief executive John Ferguson stated that they would be willing to enter the colt at the supplementary stage, saying "We now know that the Prix du Jockey Club is a serious possibility, but there is also Epsom so we’ll see how he trains between now and then".

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

's Dante Stakes took place on 12 May with Midterm sent off as favourite. The race resulted in a win for

Wings Of Desire ''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its hu ...

, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, with Midterm unplaced. The winner was quoted at odds of around 4 to 1 for the Derby, alongside US Army Ranger, after the win and Gosden indicated that Wings Of Desire would be entered for the Derby at the supplementary stage, saying that "he showed me things early on, I thought 'goodness'. he's so laid back". Deauville finished as runner-up and is an intended runner in the Prix du Jockey-Club. Midterm was subsequently found to be suffering a hamstring injury after the race, and a further scan showed a stress fracture of the pelvis. This injury led to him being ruled out of the Derby on 20 May. Two French races with a possible bearing on the Epsom Derby were run on Sunday 15 May. The Poule d'Essai des Poulains is France's equivalent of the

and was run at Deauville as the regular venue at Longchamp is closed for redevelopment during 2016. The race was won by Aidan O'Brien's runner, The Gurkha, ridden by Ryan Moore. The Gurkha won by five and a half lengths and his Derby odds were reduced from 20 to 1 to 6 to 1 after his victory. O'Brien did not immediately confirm that the colt would run at Epsom, saying after the race ""He has three options now: the St James's Palace, the French Derby and the Epsom Derby". The

Prix Hocquart The Prix Hocquart is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1 mile and 4 furlongs) at ...

at the same Deauville meeting went to Mekhtaal, trained by

Jean-Claude Rouget Jean-Claude Rouget (born 1953 in Normandy) is a French Thoroughbred horse trainer and former jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel ride ...

and ridden by Gregory Benoist. Harry Herbert, racing advisor to Mekhtaal's owner Al-Shaqab Racing, said afterwards "I think we will probably go for the Prix du Jockey Club with him and keep him in France." On 20 May Goodwood staged the

Cocked Hat Stakes The Cocked Hat Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 44 yards (2,253 metr ...

over 1 mile and 3 furlongs. The race was won by Algometer, who had finished second to Midterm in the Bet365 Classic Trial in April. Algometer, ridden by Jim Crowley won by half a length from the favourite, Prize Money, and was available at odds of between and 33 to 1 for the Derby. The colt looked an unlikely runner at Epsom as trainer David Simcock believed he would need soft going to be able to run. Simcock identified the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

and St Leger in September as Algometer's targets, stating "If it rained at Epsom we might think about it, but, realistically, the Leger is the right race for him later in the year. If it doesn't rain at Epsom we'll leave it and go to he Irish Derby"

Final entries

The final supplementary entry stage on 30 May saw four owners paying £75,000 each to enter their horses in the race. The supplementary entries were Wings of Desire, Cloth of Stars, Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon. Two days before the race the Ballydoyle stable withdrew Beacon Rock and Bravery to leave a final field of sixteen.

Race

US Army Ranger started the 7/2 favourite ahead of Wings of Desire on 6/1 and Harzand at 13/2 whilst Cloth of Stars and Ulysses shared fourth place in the betting on 8/1. Port Douglas went to the front from the start and set the pace in the early stages. Moonlight Magic, Cloth of Stars and Massaat were close behind with Harzand. Ulysses and Idaho in mid-division and US Army Ranger and Wings of Desire. Port Douglas led the field into the straight ahead of Cloth of Stars, Massaat, Moonlight Magic and Idaho. The leaders began to struggle approaching the final quarter mile and Idaho went to the front with Harzand emerging as his main challenger as US Army Ranger began to make rapid progress on the wide outside. Harzand gained the advantage approaching the final furlong and repelled a sustained challenge from US Army Ranger to win by one and a half lengths. Idaho took third place, five lengths ahead of Wings of Desire in fourth.

Race card

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - !No !Draw !Horse !Weight ( st– lb) !Jockey ! Trainer !Owner , - , 1 , 6 , Across The Stars (IRE) , 9–0 , Kieren Fallon ,

Sir Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

, Saeed Suhail , - , 2 , 4 , Algometer , 9–0 ,

Jim Crowley James Harold "Sleepy Jim" Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen (American football), Four Horsemen" bac ...

, David Simcock ,

Kirsten Rausing Kirsten Elisbet Rausing, DL (born 6 June 1952) is a Swedish businesswoman, who owns a third of the holding company Tetra Laval and sits on the company board alongside other members of her family. She was listed as the 150th richest individual ...

, - , 3 , 7 , Biodynamic , 9–0 ,

Dougie Costello Dougie Costello (born Ireland Co Galway, 1983) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey. He now rides on the flat, having previously been a jump jockey. He is one of the few jockeys to have won at the top level in both codes - the 2012 Triumph Hurdle a ...

, Karl Burke , Hubert John Strecker , - , 4 , 14 , Cloth of Stars (IRE) , 9–0 ,

Mickael Barzalona Mickaël Barzalona (born 3 August 1991 in Avignon, France) is a French-born Thoroughbred horse racing jockey, who is the retained jockey in France for Godolphin. Career Barzalona was born into a racing family, his grandfather is Christian Barz ...

, André Fabre (FR) , Godolphin , - , 5 , 12 , Deauville (IRE) , 9–0 ,

Jamie Spencer Jamie Spencer (born 8 June 1980, in County Tipperary) is an Irish flat racing jockey currently riding in the UK. He has been champion jockey in both Ireland and Britain and has won seven classics, five in Ireland and two in England.

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) ,

Tabor Tabor may refer to: Places Czech Republic * Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region ** Tábor District, the surrounding district * Tábor, a village and part of Velké Heraltice in the Moravian-Silesian Region Israel * Mount Tabor, Galilee ...

/ Smith / Magnier / Hay , - , 6 , 9 , Harzand (IRE) , 9–0 ,

(IRE) , HH Aga Khan , - , 7 , 2 , Humphrey Bogart (IRE) , 9–0 ,

Sean Levey Sean Levey (born 7 March, 1988) is a Swazi born, Classic-winning jockey based in the United Kingdom. Early life Levey was born in Swaziland (now Eswatini) to an Irish father, jockey and trainer Mick Levey, and a Swazi mother, Tini. In 2001 the ...

, Chelsea Thoroughbreds – Saint Tropez , - , 8 , 8 ,

(IRE) , 9–0 ,

Seamie Heffernan James Anthony "Seamie" Heffernan (born 17 July 1972) is an Irish flat racing jockey who rides mainly for horse racing trainer Aidan O'Brien. From a family with no racing connections Heffernan was introduced to the sport when he took a summer ho ...

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) ,

/ Smith / Magnier , - , 9 , 11 , Massaat (IRE) , 9–0 , Paul Hanagan , Owen Burrows ,

Hamdan Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, حمدان بن راشد أل مكتوم, '; 25 December 1945 – 24 March 2021) was an Emirati politician, the deputy ruler of Dubai and the minister of finance and industry of the United Arab Emirates ...

, - , 10 , 1 , Moonlight Magic , 9–0 , Kevin Manning , Jim Bolger (IRE) , Godolphin , - , 11 , 10 , Port Douglas (IRE) , 9–0 ,

Colm O'Donoghue Colm O'Donoghue (born 13 November 1980, Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland) is a multiple Group 1 and Classic winning flat jockey. For most of his career, he was based at the Ballydoyle racing stables in Rosegreen, Cashel, County Tipperary. Care ...

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) ,

/ Smith / Magnier , - , 12 , 16 , Red Verdon , 9–0 , Silvestre de Sousa ,

Ed Dunlop Edward A. L. Dunlop (born 20 October 1968) is a British thoroughbred horse trainer, racehorse trainer. Dunlop is the son of British champion trainer John L. Dunlop, John Dunlop. He was educated at Sunningdale School and Eton College. He began h ...

, Ronald Arculli , - , 13 , 5 , Shogun (IRE) , 9–0 ,

Donnacha O'Brien Donnacha O'Brien (born 22 July 1998) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey who competed in Flat racing. O'Brien is the son of multiple champion trainer Aidan O'Brien and brother of jockey and trainer Joseph O'Brien. Donnacha O'Brien ...

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) ,

/ Smith / Magnier / O'Brien , - , 14 , 3 ,

(IRE) , 9–0 , Andrea Atzeni ,

Flaxman Holdings Stavros Spyrou Niarchos ( el, Σταύρος Σπύρου Νιάρχος, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both ...

, - , 15 , 15 ,

(IRE) , 9–0 , Ryan Moore , Aidan O'Brien (IRE) ,

/ Smith / Magnier , - , 16 , 13 ,

, 9–0 , Frankie Dettori , John Gosden , Carole, Lady Bamford Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Full result

{, class="wikitable" , - style="background:#7d7; text-align:center;" , style="width:35px;", , style="width:45px;", Dist * , style="width:160px;", Horse , style="width:160px;", Jockey , style="width:200px;", Trainer , style="width:80px;", SP , - , 1 , , Harzand ,

(IRE) , 13/2 , - , 2 , 1½ ,

, Ryan Moore , Aidan O'Brien (IRE) , 7/2F , - , 3 , 1¼ ,

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) , 14/1 , - , 4 , 5 ,

, Frankie Dettori , John Gosden , 6/1 , - , 5 , 3 , Humphrey Bogart ,

, 25/1 , - , 6 , 1 , Red Verdon , Silvestre de Sousa ,

, 20/1 , - , 7 , 2 , Algometer ,

, David Simcock , 33/1 , - , 8 , 2 , Cloth of Stars ,

, André Fabre (FR) , 8/1 , - , 9 , nse , Massaat , Paul Hanagan , Owen Burrows , 11/1 , - , 10 , 3 , Across The Stars , Kieren Fallon ,

, 25/1 , - , 11 , 3 , Deauville ,

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) , 14/1 , - , 12 , 1¼ ,

, Andrea Atzeni ,

, 8/1 , - , 13 , 6 , Biodynamic ,

, Karl Burke , 100/1 , - , 14 , 7 , Port Douglas ,

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) , 16/1 , - , 15 , 7 , Shogun ,

, Aidan O'Brien (IRE) , 33/1 , - , 16 , 11 , Moonlight Magic , Kevin Manning , Jim Bolger (IRE) , 14/1 Winning time: 2 min 40.09sec * The distances between the horses are shown in

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

or shorter; nse = nose; hd = head.
† Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Form analysis

Two-year-old races

Notable runs by the future Derby participants as two-year-olds in 2015:

* Cloth of Stars – ''1st in Prix des Chênes, 3rd in

Prix de Condé The Prix de Condé is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,800 metres (about 1⅛ miles), and it is scheduled to take place ...

, 2nd in Critérium de Saint-Cloud'' * Deauville – ''1st in

Tyros Stakes The Tyros Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

, 2nd in

Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...

, 5th in Racing Post Trophy'' * Humphrey Bogart – ''4th in Acomb Stakes, 4th in Royal Lodge Stakes'' * Idaho – ''4th in Critérium de Saint-Cloud'' * Massaat – ''2nd in Dewhurst Stakes'' * Moonlight Magic – ''1st in

Eyrefield Stakes The Eyrefield Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres), and it is scheduled ...

'' * Port Douglas – ''4th in Canford Cliffs Stakes, 1st in

Beresford Stakes The Beresford Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

, 4th in Racing Post Trophy'' * Shogun – ''3rd in Futurity Stakes, 6th in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, 10th in

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses, run on a grass course at a distance of one mile. It is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North ...

Road to Epsom

Early-season appearances in 2016 and trial races prior to running in the Derby:

* Across The Stars – ''3rd in Lingfield Derby Trial'' * Algometer – ''2nd in Bet365 Classic Trial, 1st in

'' * Biodynamic – ''4th in Chester Vase'' * Cloth Of Stars – ''1st in

Prix La Force The Prix La Force is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles) at Longchamp in April. History ...

, 1st in

'' * Deauville – ''2nd in Dante Stakes'' * Harzand – ''1st in

Ballysax Stakes The Ballysax Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at Leopardstow ...

'' * Humphrey Bogart – ''1st in Lingfield Derby Trial'' * Idaho – ''2nd in Ballysax Stakes, 3rd in Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial'' * Massaat – ''2nd in

2000 Guineas Stakes The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

'' * Moonlight Magic – ''5th in Ballysax Stakes, 1st in Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial'' * Port Douglas – ''2nd in Chester Vase'' * Shogun – ''2nd in Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial'' *

– ''1st in Chester Vase'' *

– ''1st in Dante Stakes

Subsequent Group 1 wins

Group 1 / Grade I victories after running in the Derby:

* Cloth of Stars – '' Prix Ganay (2017)'' * Harzand – ''

(2016)'' * Deauville – ''

Belmont Derby The Caesars Belmont Derby is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred race horse run over a distance of miles on the turf at Belmont Park in July. The purse for the event is US$1,000,000. The event is the first of three of ...

(2016)'' * Ulysses – ''

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

(2017), International Stakes (2017)''

References

{{Epsom Derby

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

2016 2010s in Surrey