2020 Epsom Derby

The 2020 Epsom Derby was the 241st annual running of the Derby horse race and took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 4 July 2020. The race was sponsored by Investec. 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[1] and eventually rescheduled to take place on 4 July 2020.[2]

2020 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
LocationEpsom Downs Racecourse
Date4 July 2020
Winning horseSerpentine
Starting price25/1
JockeyEmmet McNamara
TrainerAidan O'Brien
ConditionsGood
Epsom Derby 2020
1-2-3
grey White, emerald green epaulets and star on cap Purple, white seams, striped sleeves, purple cap
Serpentine Khalifa Sat Amhran Na Bhfiann

The winner was the Coolmore Stud's chestnut colt Serpentine, ridden by Emmet McNamara and trained at Ballydoyle in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien, 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.[3]

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 Coolmore Stud. Khalid Abdullah entered 16 horses and five-time winning owner Aga Khan IV had 19 entries. Queen Elizabeth II 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.[4] Grand Rock, trained by William Haggas won the September 2019 race to claim the first wild card entry.[5] The 2020 running of the Blue Riband Trial Stakes was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom[6]

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, usually a major trial, was postponed to July and run after the Derby, whereas the King Edward VII Stakes 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.[7] The original entries for the race were cancelled on 8 April 2020 with entry fees being refunded.[8] 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
No Draw Horse Weight (st–lb) Jockey Trainer Owner
1 5 Amhran Na Bhfiann 9–0 William Buick Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Tabor, Smith, Magnier
2 4 Emissary 9–0 Jim Crowley Hugo Palmer Khalid Abdulla
3 1 English King 9–0 Frankie Dettori Ed Walker Bjorn Nielsen
4 16 Gold Maze 9–0 David Egan Jessica Harrington (IRE) Long Wait Partnership
5 13 Highland Chief 9–0 Ben Curtis Paul & Oliver Cole Fitri Hay
6 11 Kameko 9–0 Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding Qatar Racing
7 14 Khalifa Sat 9–0 Tom Marquand Andrew Balding Ahmad Al Shaikh
8 7 Max Vega 9–0 Harry Bentley Ralph Beckett Pickford Hill Partnership
9 2 Mogul 9–0 Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Tabor, Smith, Magnier
10 15 Mohican Heights 9–0 Andrea Atzeni David Simcock Sun Bloodstock
11 10 Mythical 9–0 James Doyle Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Tabor, Smith, Magnier
12 3 Pyledriver 9–0 Martin Dwyer William Muir K & W Bloodstock & R W Devlin
13 6 Russian Emperor 9–0 Seamie Heffernan Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Laurie Macri, Mrs Magnier et al.
14 12 Serpentine 9–0 Emmet McNamara Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Tabor, Smith, Magnier
15 8 Vatican City 9–0 Padraig Beggy Aidan O'Brien (IRE) Tabor, Smith, Magnier
16 9 Worthily 9–0 Martin Harley John Gosden George W. Strawbridge Jr.

Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Full result
Dist * Horse Jockey Trainer SP
1 Serpentine Emmet McNamara Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 25/1
2 5½ Khalifa Sat Tom Marquand Andrew Balding 50/1
3 ½ Amhran Na Bhfiann William Buick Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 66/1
4 nse Kameko Oisin Murphy Andrew Balding 5/2 fav
5 nk English King Frankie Dettori Ed Walker 100/30
6 ¾ Mogul Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 7/1
7 1¼ Russian Emperor Seamie Heffernan Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 6/1
8 ½ Vatican City Padraig Beggy Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 17/2
9 2¼ Gold Maze David Egan Jessica Harrington (IRE) 150/1
10 2¾ Highland Chief Ben Curtis Paul & Oliver Cole 20/1
11 ½ Pyledriver Martin Dwyer William Muir 16/1
12 ½ Mohican Heights Andrea Atzeni David Simcock 25/1
13 ½ Mythical James Doyle Aidan O'Brien (IRE) 100/1
14 nk Max Vega Harry Bentley Ralph Beckett 33/1
15 2¼ Emissary Jim Crowley Hugo Palmer 40/1
16 75 Worthily Martin Harley John Gosden 40/1

Winning time: 2 min 34.43 sec

* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths 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

Road to Epsom

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

Subsequent Group 1 wins

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

See also

References
  1. "Guineas and Derby meetings to be held later in the season, Jockey Club announces". Racing Post. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  2. Harding, Jonathan (29 May 2020). "When does racing return? Updated schedule including Royal Ascot and the Guineas". Racing Post. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. "Epsom Derby: Serpentine stuns rivals to give Aidan O'Brien record eighth victory". BBC Sport. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. "Yearling Entries for the 2020 Epsom Derby Announced". Thoroughbred Daily News. 12 December 2018.
  5. "Grand Rock wins at Epsom to earn Investec Derby entry". Sky Sports. 29 September 2019.
  6. "Coronavirus: Horse racing in Great Britain suspended until end of April". BBC Sport. 17 March 2020.
  7. Keogh, Frank (12 May 2020). "Derby set to stay at Epsom after behind-closed-doors plans approved". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  8. Lees, Jon (8 April 2020). "GB: Derby entries scrapped as Epsom Classic moves to five-day closing procedure". Horse Racing Planet.
  9. "Gold Maze – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  10. "Highland Chief – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  11. "Kameko – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. "Max Vega – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  13. "Mogul – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  14. "Mohican Heights – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  15. "Mythical – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  16. "Pyledriver – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  17. "Emissary – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  18. "English King – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  19. "Khalifa – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  20. "Russian Emperor – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  21. "Vatican City – Race Record & Form". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 June 2020.


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