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2016 Epsom Derby AI simulator
(@2016 Epsom Derby_simulator)
Hub AI
2016 Epsom Derby AI simulator
(@2016 Epsom Derby_simulator)
2016 Epsom Derby
The 2016 Epsom Derby was the 237th annual running of the Derby horse race and took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 4 June 2016. The race was won by the Aga Khan's Harzand, ridden by Pat Smullen and trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld. 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, Kahyasi and Sinndar.
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) heading the betting market at odds 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) and Moonlight Magic (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial) along with the Classic winner The Gurkha (Poule d'Essai des Poulains) and Awtaad, 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, 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. Awtaad and The Gurkha were both withdrawn at this stage.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 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 with Ulysses 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 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 for Across the Star's owner, Saeed Suhail, also trained by Stoute.
The first significant trial race for the 2016 Derby took place at Leopardstown on 10 April when a field of seven colts contested the Ballysax Stakes. The race was won by the 2/1 favourite Harzand, trained by Dermot Weld. Harzand beat Idaho by a length 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 Pat Smullen 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 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, So Mi Dar, whose trainer John Gosden intended to run her in the Epsom Oaks. So Mi Dar subsequently won the Musidora Stakes 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.
2016 Epsom Derby
The 2016 Epsom Derby was the 237th annual running of the Derby horse race and took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 4 June 2016. The race was won by the Aga Khan's Harzand, ridden by Pat Smullen and trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld. 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, Kahyasi and Sinndar.
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) heading the betting market at odds 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) and Moonlight Magic (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial) along with the Classic winner The Gurkha (Poule d'Essai des Poulains) and Awtaad, 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, 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. Awtaad 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 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 with Ulysses 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 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 for Across the Star's owner, Saeed Suhail, also trained by Stoute.
The first significant trial race for the 2016 Derby took place at Leopardstown on 10 April when a field of seven colts contested the Ballysax Stakes. The race was won by the 2/1 favourite Harzand, trained by Dermot Weld. Harzand beat Idaho by a length 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 Pat Smullen 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 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, So Mi Dar, whose trainer John Gosden intended to run her in the Epsom Oaks. So Mi Dar subsequently won the Musidora Stakes 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.