For Saturday’s Epsom Derby, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Passenger has been added to the field.
The £85,000 entry fee has been paid by the horse’s owners, the Niarchos Family, and Passenger is now the third favourite in the betting for 11-2. Stoute is the only entrant this year and has won the event six times, including with Desert Crown a year ago. There is a specified maximum field size of 16 for the race.
Passenger finished in third place in York’s Dante Stakes, a crucial Derby trial, last year after fighting to gain a clean run. Passenger was a stunning winner on his debut in April at Newmarket.
Market leader Military Order, a sibling of the winner Adayar in 2021 and the Lingfield Derby Trial winner for trainer Charlie Appleby leads the field.
According to Appleby, “From the team’s perspective, we’re really satisfied with him. He recovered really well from his Lingfield Derby trial victory, and we have been quite happy with him ever since.”
“Physically, he is getting better every week, and we have no complaints about him so far for what he has been accomplishing on the racetrack.”
