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| |  Thursday, 30 May, 2002, 12:38 GMT 13:38 UK Epsom defends entry system Bandari won his Derby trial by 13 lengths Officials at Epsom Racecourse insist there are no immediate plans to change the Derby entry system despite heavy criticism. Leading trainer Mark Johnston has voiced his concern at the cost of late entries. Johnston won three of this year's recognised trials with horses who were not entered for the big race. For example, Bandari cruised to a 13-length victory in the Derby Trial at Lingfield But the colt was not entered at either of the first two Derby cut-off points. And that meant owner Dubai-based businessman Abdullah Al-Rostamani, would have been required to pay �90,000 to secure a spot in the race.
In the event, the colt was sold to Hamdan Al Maktoum with the intention of running at Epsom. But Johnston, who also trained Simeon and Fight Your Corner to win important Derby trials, believes owners should not be made to add to the prize-money pot. The race already boasted total prize money of �1.2m. with more than �600,000 on offer to the winner. And the fund was further boosted when owners paid �90,000 each for the Johnston-trained Bandari and Fight Your Corner as supplementary entries. Epsom Downs racecourse executive director Stephen Wallis insists there are no excuses for not running a horse in the Derby. "The system is there. It is for trainers and owners to play the system as they wish to play it," he told BBC Sport Online. After Bandari's Lingfield win, Johnston said: "This horse cost 44,000 guineas. "It breaks my heart to say it because I am a fan of the Derby. "But I don't see why the owner should have to pay more than twice the purchase price to run at Epsom.
"You can talk until the cows come home about this but �600,000 is a pittance for first prize, you can win more than that on a game show these days. "The structure of the entry system has nothing to do with having the best horses, it is just using owners to boost the prize-money." Wallis has not discounted changes in the future, but backs the current system. "Given that next year's Derby conditions are already published, and we have more than 580 yearlings entered, there's no need for any urgency and nothing further to add on that. "The reality is if you think back a few years ago Geoff Wragg had a horse called Pentire, who wasn't entered as a yearling and wasn't allowed to run in the Derby of his generation.
"Now you have three chances to come into the race - you can come in as a yearling, as a three-year-old or just before the race. "We have a fail-safe system in that there is no excuse for a horse being unable to run in the Derby. "If an owner or trainer decides they do not want to run in it, there is little we can do about it. What we have done is ensure it is possible to run if you want to." And Wallis believes the interest in Europe's richest race is increasing. "It's the aspirational race in that it's the one that owners, breeders and trainers in Europe want to win," he said. "We are increasing its profile year-on-year internationally. "At one stage there was American horses entered for last year's Derby, there are already Japanese yearlings entered for next year's Derby. "We are very keen to make the most out of the international appeal of the race." | |
See also:  13 May 02 | Horse Racing Top Epsom Derby 2002 stories now: Links to more Epsom Derby 2002 stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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