11101 95. MERCEDES-BENZ ČESKÉ DERBY

R Gd-3 - 3 - 2400 m - 2 500 000 Kč,

Sixteen horses remain in the 95^th running of the Mercedes-Benz Czech Derby, before runners and riders are declared on Monday, June 16^th.

Fourteen Czech-trained horses are joined by French-trained Parzival and German-trained Hot Beat.

Owner Ramzan Kadyrov and trainer Arslangirej Šavujev are strongly represented, by Aldar and Aldzarb. Aldar is likely to start as favourite, after his comfortable win in the main Slovak Derby trial at Bratislava. Josef Váňa is likely to have three runners, of which Touch of Genius and Tamarind Cove will be well fancied. Trainer Radek Holčák and owner Jiří Posád have two runners, Dalewari and Kifaaya. Neither of these horses has yet shown that he can win the race for their owner, whose horses have won our Derby in each of the last three years.

The only filly in the field is Dumnonia, winner of the Czech and Slovak One Thousand Guineas classic races. The Derby is the only major Czech race that her owner, Jiří Charvát, has not yet won.

Of the Czech-trained horses, only Touch of Class has already run over the full Derby distance. The main trial race, won by Sirius Shine, was run at a slow pace, over 2200 metres, and did not test the ability of the horses to stay the Derby distance.

No doubt some good horses will emerge on Derby Day, June 21st, at Prague Velka Chuchle, but it is not easy to predict which they will be.