Marhaba Malyoon eyes Epsom Derby start

His only start was a maiden win, way back in September, but Marhaba Malyoon could reach the Epsom Derby on June 4 if he runs well in Saturday’s Group 3 Derby Trial Stakes at Lingfield Park, south of London.

Supplemented to the Epsom Derby last month for approximately $13,100, Marhaba Malyoon is part of a field of seven in the Derby Trial, which is run over 1 7/16 miles on turf. Last September, Marhaba Malyoon won a maiden race over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Bath, England.

Owned by Ahmad Al Shaikh, Marhaba Malyoon, by Tiger Hill, thrives at longer distances, trainer David Simcock said. “The trip should be no problem at all for him and he may even stay further in time,” Simcock said.

The Derby Trial lacks a standout. Dordogne won the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket on April 13, but was last of nine as the favorite in the Grade 3 Classic Trial at Sandown Park on April 24. Measuring Time, second in the Classic Trial, seeks his first stakes win at Lingfield.

*Jockey Mirco Demuro, who won the $10 million Dubai World Cup earlier this year with Victoire Pisa, will ride the 2011 stakes winner Figli Fanesi in Saturday’s Group 2 Italian Derby at Capannelle in Rome.

Run over a mile and three furlongs on a right-handed turf course, the Italian Derby has drawn a field of 13, including Al Rep, an Irish-bred colt by Trade Fair, who won the Group 3 Premio Parioli over a mile at Capannelle on April 17.

On the same program last month, Figli Fanesi, an Irish-bred by Tiger Hill, won the Premio Botticelli over 1 5/16 miles, beating Bacchelli and Plushenko, two entrants in the Italian Derby.

The first two finishers of two listed stakes run at San Siro in Milan last month are entered – Cazals and Ekasin from the one-mile Premio Gardone on April 3, and Sneak A Peek and Lake Drop, who were separated by a nose in the Premio Emanuele Filiberto over 1 1/4 miles on April 16.

*Vadamar, who won his 3-year-old debut in the listed Prix Francois Mathet at Saint-Cloud on April 3, seeks his third consecutive win in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe over 1 1/4 miles on turf at the same course on Saturday.

The Prix Greffulhe is a prep for the French Derby at Chantilly on June 5, although some entrants are also eligible for the English Derby.

Vadamar, a French-bred colt by Dalakhani, races for The Aga Khan and is trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre. The stable will also start a pacemaker for Vadamar in Dildar, who was third in a conditions race at Longchamp last month.

The Prix Greffulhe features Bubble Chic, who was second in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud last fall, and Maxious, who was third in the Group 3 Prix La Force at Longchamp last month.