Indeed, it's bookmakers' heaven - TG, to me, is unlikely to run too.

I believe Foundation is also down to run in the French Derby and could meet the Gurkha, if so, I'd take a chance with the former mainly on form. What puzzles me is why the connections of Galileo Gold (GG) have not considered the same race for him? I think GG will be suited by the race, and hosts the best form too.

latest update from Patrick the powers us ranger out to 6 Humphrey bogart out to 40 nrnb far to big if he enters and the gurkha into 5/2 wat do they no

Anyone else think deauville could win ? Was only half fit last time and doesn't look the strongest race

Is there a French Derby antepost yet ? Would like to get around 3-4s on The Gurkha if possible

4/1 with Sportsbook Greed if you can get more than a quid on good luck

aob has never won the french derby and has said all along for the gurhka that the french derby was the target. it may be a second string, but what a second string beast it is!

5-2 on minding would have been a reasonable price given it is unproven at 1m 4f.  now unbackable.

So Mi Dar non runner Oaks  lame

I hope The Gurkhas runs but I doubt it will because it's too pacy, and more likely for the French Derby; if it does, sobeit, I can get bigger prices for his stablemates eg UAR and Port Douglas. I'm not a fan of Deauville as I do not firmly believe he stays 12f well unlike his stablemates who ran in the Chester Vase.

Midterm is still a possibility for the Derby - he was sore in a hamstring behind after the Dante - whatever that might mean. Anyway, there is a legitimate reason behind his lacklustre run at York.

A lame excuse.

dunlaying
17 May 16 12:15
Joined: 12 Feb 11
| Topic/replies: 3,159 | Blogger: dunlaying's blog
The support for The Gurkha is not based upon one piece of form.


I dont think anyone seriously considered The Gurkha as a legit Epsom Derby candidate till after sunday he was freely available @ 50s and above last week. He was probably a very unlikely runner for the derby this time last week.
So i would say the support is based upon one piece of form.

If you think his 1st 2 runs entitle him to be Dery fav Dunlaying then we will agree to differ.

There is some consolation for John Gosden, whose So Mi Dar has been ruled out of the Oaks through lameness, in the thought that his chance of Derby success may have been improved. The trainer feels his filly’s absence from Epsom next month makes it more likely that the star Irish filly Minding will be targeted at the Oaks rather than tilting at the colts race, in which Gosden will field Wings Of Desire, currently the 5-1 second-favourite.


John Gosden forced to rule So Mi Dar out of the Oaks due to lameness
Read more
Minding’s trainer, Aidan O’Brien, now has “a lot of cards to play” in the Derby, Gosden said at a press conference here on Monday evening to promote the Investec-sponsored Classics. “So many runners, why would you need to run Minding when she can run in an Oaks?”

Indeed, Gosden expects his Irish rival to be mob-handed in the Derby and recalled the 2007 race, in which he ran the eventual fourth, Lucarno, while O’Brien had no fewer than eight runners. The Newmarket man is also more respectful than many have been about the quality of O’Brien’s likely runners.

“I think you’ve got very nice horses. US Army Ranger and the horse who was second to him [Port Douglas], they’re bloody good horses. I think Deauville’s a good horse.”

Gosden was especially taken by the success in France on Sunday of O’Brien’s The Gurkha. “He was impressive. I’ve got to be honest, I think he beat Group Three horses. A horse of my wife’s [Crazy Horse] was beaten a length for second and he’s a bit rusty. But he totally showed he’s a Group One horse, so he’s exciting if they run him there.

“Who knows, he could go to the St James’s Palace [at Royal Ascot in mid-June]. He could be that kind of speed. It’s not my business, all I know is I expect Aidan to turn up with about six colts at least and I expect Minding to remain in the Oaks. I’m sure they’ll do that.”

To some extent, Gosden is happy to have a Derby candidate at all, having believed as recently as the middle of last month that he would be unrepresented in the race he won last year. Wings Of Desire held a Derby entry initially but the trainer pulled him out on 7 March, when it would have cost £1,000 to stay in, believing instead the horse would go for the much less prestigious King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting.

“I think it’s still a very good idea,” he joked. “Alas, I’ve been made a fool of. And he only did his first half-speed on 15 March.” Connections must now pay £75,000 to re-enter into the Derby.

For a colt to make such rapid progress, from first gallop to Derby contention, is unusual, Gosden readily conceded, though he sent out Tamure to be second at Epsom in 1995 after a similar preparation. Of Wings Of Desire, he said: “He’s got a gorgeous frame, good mind on him. And he’s done a lot of solid, steady stuff through the winter, but he’d never done any fast work until the third week of March. He’s learning quick.”

Referring to the colt’s success in York’s Dante Stakes last week, Gosden added: “I notice Frankie [Dettori] didn’t hit the front too soon because he’s still a baby but he’s a proper Derby horse, there’s no doubt about it. You’d just love to have got another run into him, that’s all. He’s a big, strapping, strong colt now and last year he wasn’t.”

While the trainer still feels that last year’s Derby winner, Golden Horn, might have won despite a mile and a half being a shade further than his optimum distance, Wings Of Desire is likely to prove a more thorough stayer. “It’ll be his best trip and I won’t bother bringing him back to a mile and a quarter again. Because if things go well, you’d probably put him away for a King George, something like that, he’s a proper mile and a half horse, like his brother [Eagle Top].”

But the very experienced Gosden has seen too much to be taking anything for granted. In Tamure’s year, he also ran the eventual third, Presenting, and still feels that horse would have won if his jockey had not taken the view that he knew better than to follow instructions. “Mr Cash Asmussen wouldn’t listen to me. I told Cash, go to the front, make the running, go for it, he stays, he’s a galloper.

“He just popped him in to give him a little air, then he couldn’t get out again until too late. Typical Asmussen, he always knew the name of The Unknown Soldier.

“There’s a banana skin round every corner. Look at So Mi Dar!”

I see Weld has put Derby entrant Ezanak in the Gallinule.  Will be very interesting to see how he gets on if declared.

according to todays racing post midterm will b struggling to make the race does not sound hopeful

his got to impress aswell sounds not right also Idaho just bin matched at 50 ?

I would be surprised if The Gurkha runs in Ireland just 6 days after France. Maybe just the usual Ballydoyle strategy of flooding a race with entries to put off the others.