{, 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 2020 Epsom Derby was the 241st 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 July 2020. The race was sponsored by

Investec Investec is an Anglo-South African international banking and wealth management group. It provides a range of financial products and services to a client base in Europe, Southern Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Investec is dual-listed on the London ...

. It was originally scheduled to take place at on 6 June 2020, but was postponed until later in the season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and eventually rescheduled to take place on 4 July 2020. The winner was the

Coolmore Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...

's chestnut colt Serpentine, ridden by Emmet McNamara and trained at

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current train ...

in Ireland by

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

, who saddled a record eighth Derby winner. McNamara was riding in the Derby for the first time and registered his first win in any race since October 2019.

Race synopsis

Entries and race build-up

The initial entry for the 2020 Epsom Derby, announced in December 2018, consisted of 356 yearlings whose owners paid for each horse entered. The number of entries was an increase of 18 on the initial entry for the 2019 race, and included 12 horses from the Godolphin organisation and 75 from the

. Khalid Abdullah entered 16 horses and five-time winning owner

Aga Khan IV Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...

had 19 entries. Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

entered 5 horses for the race. Two wild card entries were planned, one for winning the Investec Derby "Wild Card" Conditions Race in September 2019 and the other for winning the 2020

Blue Riband Trial Stakes The Blue Riband Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 17 yards (2,027 metres) at ...

. Grand Rock, trained by

William Haggas William Haggas is a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, based at Somerville Lodge stables in Newmarket, Suffolk. He is the son-in-law of the multiple champion jockey Lester Piggott. He was educated at Harrow and played cricket at Lord's ...

won the September 2019 race to claim the first wild card entry. The 2020 running of the Blue Riband Trial Stakes was cancelled because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

The COVID outbreak lead to the Derby being postponed to 4 July 2020, although the course and distance remained unchanged. The restrictions imposed owing to the pandemic meant that many of the traditional trial races for the Derby were either cancelled or rearranged. For example, the

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

, usually a major trial, was postponed to July and run after the Derby, whereas the

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...

which is usually run after the Derby became a trial race for the Epsom classic. A further consideration for the rescheduled meeting was the need to run the race without spectators (" behind closed doors"). The course can be accessed by a number of public footpaths and bridleways and in order to hold the meeting behind closed doors at Epsom the local council had to approve an application for public access to be restricted. The original entries for the race were cancelled on 8 April 2020 with entry fees being refunded. The race attracted a total of seventeen entries when it was reopened on 28 June 2020. Of these seventeen, sixteen were declared on 2 July 2020, with the exception being the Aidan O'Brien-trained Armory.

Race card

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - !No !Draw !Horse !Weight ( st– lb) !Jockey ! Trainer !Owner , - , 1 , 5 , Amhran Na Bhfiann , 9–0 ,

William Buick William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he w ...

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(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 , - , 2 , 4 , Emissary , 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 ...

, Hugo Palmer ,

Khalid Abdulla Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

, - , 3 , 1 , English King , 9–0 ,

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...

, Ed Walker , Bjorn Nielsen , - , 4 , 16 , Gold Maze , 9–0 , David Egan ,

Jessica Harrington Jessica Jane Harrington (née Fowler, born 12 February 1947) is an Irish professional horse trainer. Harrington specialises in National Hunt racing but has also had success in Flat racing. Personal life Harrington was born in London. Her father ...

(IRE) , Long Wait Partnership , - , 5 , 13 , Highland Chief , 9–0 , Ben Curtis , Paul & Oliver Cole , Fitri Hay , - , 6 , 11 ,

Kameko Kameko (foaled 7 April 2017) is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2019 he won his first race and then ran second in both the Solario Stakes and the Royal Lodge Stakes before winning the Vertem Futurit ...

, 9–0 ,

Oisin Murphy Oisin Murphy (born 6 September 1995) is an Irish jockey based in the United Kingdom who competes in flat racing. He has won a British Classic Races, British Classic and a number of Group races, Group 1 races. He was British flat racing Cham ...

Andrew Balding Andrew Matthews Balding (born 29 December 1972) is a British racehorse trainer based at Park House Stables, Kingsclere, near Newbury, Berkshire. Balding attended Caldicott School, a boys' preparatory school, and Radley College, a public school ...

, Qatar Racing , - , 7 , 14 , Khalifa Sat , 9–0 ,

Tom Marquand Tom Marquand (born 30 March 1998) is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. Background Marquand spent his childhood near Cheltenham and, although not from a racing background, grew up around horses. After pony racing and riding out f ...

, Ahmad Al Shaikh , - , 8 , 7 , Max Vega , 9–0 , Harry Bentley ,

Ralph Beckett Ralph Michael Beckett (born June 1971) is a British racehorse trainer who specialises in training horses for Flat racing. He is based at Kimpton, Hampshire. Beckett comes from an aristocratic racing background. He is the grandson of Ralph Beck ...

, Pickford Hill Partnership , - , 9 , 2 ,

Mogul Mogul may refer to: History *Mughal Empire, or any member of its ruling dynasty Persons * Magnate ** Mogul, Secret Service codename for President Trump ** Business magnate, a prominent person in a particular industry **Media mogul, a person who ...

, 9–0 , Ryan Moore ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) ,

, Smith, Magnier , - , 10 , 15 , Mohican Heights , 9–0 ,

Andrea Atzeni Andrea Atzeni (born 26 March 1991) is a professional Italian jockey based in England. He hails from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and his family has no history of racing; his father is a farmer and his mother a dentist. Atzeni however exp ...

, David Simcock , Sun Bloodstock , - , 11 , 10 , Mythical , 9–0 , James Doyle ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) ,

, Smith, Magnier , - , 12 , 3 , Pyledriver , 9–0 ,

Martin Dwyer Martin Dwyer (born 28 June 1975 in Aintree, Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English Epsom Derby winning flat racing jockey having won the 2006 Vodafone Derby upon Sir Percy. This was his second classic success after winning The Oaks aboard Casual L ...

, William Muir , K & W Bloodstock & R W Devlin , - , 13 , 6 , Russian Emperor , 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 Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , Laurie Macri, Mrs Magnier et al. , - , 14 , 12 , Serpentine , 9–0 , Emmet McNamara ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) ,

, Smith, Magnier , - , 15 , 8 , Vatican City , 9–0 ,

Padraig Beggy Padraig Beggy (born 30 March 1986) is an Irish professional jockey, who won the 2017 Epsom Derby on Wings of Eagles and the 2019 Irish Derby on Sovereign. He is retained by leading trainer Aidan O'Brien. Early career Beggy grew up in Dunb ...

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) ,

, Smith, Magnier , - , 16 , 9 , Worthily , 9–0 ,

Martin Harley Martin Harley (born 19 July 1989 in Donegal, Ireland) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey. Career Harley had spells as stable jockey for Mick Channon and Marco Botti, before turning freelance. His first Group 1 victory was for Channon on Sami ...

John Gosden John Harry Martin Gosden (born 30 March 1951) is a British racehorse trainer. He has trained over 3,000 winners worldwide, including winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Derby, the Arc, the King George, the Eclipse, and over 600 winners ...

George W. Strawbridge Jr. George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker Geor ...

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 , , Serpentine , Emmet McNamara ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 25/1 , - , 2 , 5½ , Khalifa Sat ,

, 50/1 , - , 3 , ½ , Amhran Na Bhfiann ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 66/1 , - , 4 , nse ,

, 5/2 fav , - , 5 , nk , English King ,

, Ed Walker , 100/30 , - , 6 , ¾ ,

, Ryan Moore ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 7/1 , - , 7 , 1¼ , Russian Emperor ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 6/1 , - , 8 , ½ , Vatican City ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 17/2 , - , 9 , 2¼ , Gold Maze , David Egan ,

(IRE) , 150/1 , - , 10 , 2¾ , Highland Chief , Ben Curtis , Paul & Oliver Cole , 20/1 , - , 11 , ½ , Pyledriver ,

, William Muir , 16/1 , - , 12 , ½ , Mohican Heights ,

, David Simcock , 25/1 , - , 13 , ½ , Mythical , James Doyle ,

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

(IRE) , 100/1 , - , 14 , nk , Max Vega , Harry Bentley ,

, 33/1 , - , 15 , 2¼ , Emissary ,

, Hugo Palmer , 40/1 , - , 16 , 75 , Worthily ,

, 40/1 Winning time: 2 min 34.43 sec * 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 2019

* Gold Maze – ''2nd 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 ...

'' * Highland Chief – ''3rd in

Chesham Stakes The Chesham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

'' * Kameko – ''1st in Vertem Futurity Trophy, 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) ...

, 2nd in

Solario Stakes The Solario Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

'' * Max Vega – ''1st in

Zetland Stakes The Zetland Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse, Newmarket ...

'' * Mogul – ''1st in Juvenile Stakes'' * Mohican Heights – ''1st in Stonehenge Stakes'' * Mythical – ''3rd in

Critérium de Saint-Cloud The Critérium de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is sche ...

'' * Pyledriver – ''1st in Ascendant Stakes''

Road to Epsom

Early-season appearances in 2020 and trial races prior to running in the Derby:

* Emissary – ''2nd in

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 ...

'' * English King – ''1st in

Lingfield Derby Trial The Derby Trial 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, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () ...

'' * Gold Maze – ''2nd in

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

'' * Kameko – ''1st in

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 ...

'' * Khalifa Sat – ''1st in

'' * Mohican Heights – ''3rd in

'' * Pyledriver – ''1st in

, 2nd in

Sandown Classic Trial The Sandown Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards ...

'' * Russian Emperor – ''1st in Hampton Court Stakes, 2nd in

Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial The Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial 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) ...

'' * Vatican City – ''2nd in

Irish 2000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas 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 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

Subsequent Group 1 wins

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

* Mogul – ''

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

(2020),

Hong Kong Vase The Hong Kong Vase is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about miles or 12 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

(2020)'' * Pyledriver – ''

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

(2021),

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

(2022)'' * Russian Emperor – '' Hong Kong Gold Cup (2022)''

References

2020 in horse racing 2020 in English sport 2020 2020 Epsom Derby July 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom Sports events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic {{horseracing-race-stub

Race synopsis

Entries and race build-up

Race card

Full result

Form analysis

Two-year-old races

Road to Epsom

Subsequent Group 1 wins

See also

References