Vodafone extend backing for Derby

Vodafone’s sponsorship of the Derby meeting has been extended until at least 2007 after a new two-year deal was announced today.

Having sponsored the Derby since 1995, Vodafone’s link with the race has become one of the most successful recent partnerships in the sport.

Also revealed today were the six horses added into the Derby field at the latest entry stage earlier this month at a cost of £8,000.

These are led by the John Hammond-trained Walk In The Park, third in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud last October and reportedly likely to be aimed at the Lingfield Derby Trial.

Also added to the field is the Dermot Weld-trained Society Milliner, a 40-1 shot for the race with Paddy Power, who is entered up at Naas this weekend.

The others are Excusez Moi (trained by Clive Brittain), Gingiefly (John Dunlop), Forward Move (Richard Hannon) and Oakbridge (Alan Jarvis).

Excusez Moi was disappointing when well beaten in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury last weekend, but Brittain said today: “I am hoping that was down to his sire, Fusaichi Pegasus.

“He used to run one good race and then one bad so let’s hope that was his bad one, because we thought he would run very well.

“We’ll probably take him to the Dee Stakes now at Chester to teach him some racing manners. If that goes well then he could still come here for the Derby and we wouldn’t have wasted our eight grand!”

Brittain, as usual, has a host of entries in the Oaks and Derby and is keen to give them all a chance to show their mettle.

But the biggest ace the trainer has up his sleeve for the meeting is Warrsan, who will bid to win the £250,000 Vodafone Coronation Cup for the third time in a row.

“Last year it caught up with him a bit,” he said. “He had a bad passage in the Arc but it was a good run and in Japan things just didn’t happen for him.

“Then we took him to Hong Kong and I knew I’d made a mistake as the fire had gone. It was my mistake and I hold my hands up.

“I’m hoping he could have a very good year in 2005 and we know how well he loves Epsom, so he must go well.”