Unbeaten Midak To Be Supplemented For Betfred Derby

[Wandering Eyes]

The unbeaten Midak will represent the Aga Khan Studs in the G1 Betfred Derby on Saturday, June 7, after connections announced he would be supplemented for the Epsom feature. This year's edition of the race will be run in memory of the late His Highness Aga Khan IV.

A homebred, the son of Footstepsinthesand won a maiden on the all-weather at first asking in March and prevailed over turf a month later in a conditions affair both over 2200 metres. He ran out a 2 1/2-length winner of the G3 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud on May 9.

Princess Zahra Aga Khan confirmed the colt's participation to Racing TV on Sunday and said, “He's unbeaten in three starts, we know he gets the trip, he's got the right kind of character to be able to handle Tattenham Corner and all the noise that comes with the Epsom Derby.

“It's nice to have a runner this year because the race is being run in honour of my father and he's done everything he should to be a valid runner in the Epsom Derby.”

She added, “When Midak won his last race, I asked Francis [-Henri Graffard] 'this is a Jockey Club horse isn't it' and he said 'we can't as you have another runner for that race and there is also another horse in our stable'.

“I then asked 'what are you thinking of doing' and he just looked at me and replied, 'Epsom'. We all thought it would be lovely to have a runner in the race and he has ticked all the boxes and there is no reason not to run him.”

The late Aga Khan won his first Derby with Shergar in 1981, with Shahrastani following in 1986 and Kahyasi in 1988. Midak's broodmare sire Sinndar stamped his name on the Blue Riband in 2000, with Harzand bolting up under Pat Smullen in 2016.

Said Graffard, who will run Calandagan (Gleneagles) in the G1 Coronation Cup the day prior, “The Derby at Epsom is a dream race for me, I have walked the course and my grandfather would always talk to me about the Epsom Derby.

“We have this horse Midak who needed supplementing for either the Prix du Jockey Club or Derby, so I said to Princess Zahra 'you already have two runners in the Jockey Club, so why not give it a go in the Derby'.

“British racing has very kindly named the Derby in honour of His Highness the Aga Khan this year, so we will take our chance.”

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