It has been more than 20 years since as many as 19 horses contested the Derby at Epsom, but Saturday’s renewal of a race that dates to 1780 is no exercise in mere quantity. The Derby, contested over 1 1/2 miles around twists and turns, rises and dips, has attracted an unusual number of promising colts.
Not unusual: Aidan O’Brien stands a strong chance of training the winner. O’Brien has won the Derby a record 10 times and seeks his third straight.
Brilliant at a mile, Desert Flower can become the 50th 3-year-old filly to complete the English 1000 Guineas and English Oaks double if she can handle the longer distance of the Group 1 Oaks on Friday at Epsom Downs.
Trained by Charlie Appleby for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing, Desert Flower won her 3-year-old debut with a one-length win as the even-money favorite in the English 1000 Guineas at a mile on May 4 at Newmarket. The win extended her undefeated record to five races, all at seven furlongs or a mile.
By Declan Schuster
Exciting sprinter Horsepower (127lb) possesses a huge engine and at Happy Valley on Wednesday (4 June) he is aiming to find another gear when he rises in grade for the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Wan Chai Gap Handicap (1200m) under Zac Purton for trainer Frankie Lor.
The Harry Angel gelding has three wins from four starts in Hong Kong – each time over 1000m in Class 3. The four-year-old, who breaks from barrier six tomorrow night, is owned by The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chairman Michael Lee, his wife Vanessa and daughter Amelia.
Happy Valley Selections
(Wednesday, June 04, 2025)
Race 1: #9 Mr Aladdin, #6 Super Hong Kong, #10 Golden Fairy, #2 Go Go Go
Race 2: #1 Lean Hero, #2 Sunday’s Serenade, #9 Firefoot, #6 Mission Strike
Race 3: #10 Good Prospect, #3 Beauty Thunder, #11 Vulcanus, #2 King Eccellente
Race 4: #1 Midori Fuji, #6 Wrote A New Page, #7 Nebraskan, #2 Setanta
Race 5: #2 Bienvenue, #8 Loving Vibes, #1 Denfield, #7 Tactical Command
Camille Pissarro rode the rail around the turn and burst through an inside gap with 250 yards left to race, and went on to win the Prix du Jockey Club by a half-length over Cualificar on Sunday at Chantilly.
By Leo Schlink
Thriving in the absence of Ka Ying Rising, Helios Express was rewarded for a season of remarkable consistency with deserved victory in the HK$4.2 million G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) as John Size edged closer to a 13th Hong Kong trainers’ championship at Sha Tin on Saturday (31 May).
Runner-up five times and third on two other occasions to Ka Ying Rising in seven starts this campaign, Helios Express (123lb) scrambled to a short-head margin over Invincible Sage (115lb) with Patch Of Theta (115lb) one and three-quarter lengths away in third.
By Declan Schuster
Cody Mo celebrated a breakthrough at Sha Tin today (Saturday, 31 May) as lightweight chance Pray For Mir (115lb) gave the trainer his first Group race win with success in the HK$4.2 million G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) under Matthew Chadwick.
Mo, 47, is a rising star among the training ranks. Following his 20-win first campaign (2023/24), the handler has excelled in 2024/25 with 38 victories including today’s and, currently boasts a 68-strong stable mixed with fresh talent and seasoned gallopers.
Museum Mile, Croix du Nord, and Masquerade Ball were the first three finishers of the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas in April, and will have a rematch in Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse.
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While they each stand an excellent chance to win the $4.32 million Japanese Derby at 1 1/2 miles, there is another respected contender in the rich race in the undefeated Fandom.
The last horse to come out of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and win the Prix du Jockey Club was the Aidan O’Brien-trained St Mark’s Basilica in 2021, O’Brien’s lone victory in the French Derby. But the O’Brien-trained Camille Pissarro, who last raced in the one-mile Poulains and rates among the favorites Sunday for the 1 5/16-mile Prix du Jockey Club is no St Mark’s Basilica.
By Leo Schlink
Chasing a feature race double for John Size at Sha Tin on Saturday (31 May), Hugh Bowman is optimistic Red Lion can prove an upset G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) victory over Voyage Bubble was no fluke when he tackles the HK$4.2 million G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m).
Red Lion famously edged out Voyage Bubble in the FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin last month, scoring by a short head at odds of 89/1 in a result which shocked many – but not Bowman.
