We bring you the key quotes from the connections of this year's Epsom Derby runners
The 2023 Epsom Derby takes place at Epsom on Saturday 3rd June
We have quotes from Aidan O'Brien, Frankie Dettori and Charlie Appleby
Frankie Dettori (centre) and Aidan O'Brien (right) talk ahead of the 2023 Derby. (Getty)
The countdown is well and truly on for the 2023 Epsom Derby, which takes place at an earlier time of 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon. To help you try and decide who to back, here are the latest quotes from connections of the confirmed runners in this year's Derby.
2023 Epsom Derby News - Quotes From Connections
Aidan O'Brien talking about his three contenders
Auguste Rodin
“Auguste Rodin is a collector’s item. He’s out of Rhododendron, probably one of the best Galileo mares ever, and by Deep Impact, one of the greatest Japanese stallions ever."
“He’s very unique and rare. When you get a horse that’s bred like that, looks like that, moves like that and has the ability he has is very rare, very unusual."
“He’s been very special from day one. Nothing has changed our minds about him, The Guineas went wrong and we put it down to a non-event for him.”
“Auguste Rodin very much has a middle distance pedigree and good ground and better would be what he’d always prefer,”
San Antonio and Adelaide River
"San Antonio, who won in Chester, could go to the French Derby the day after (Epsom) and Adelaide River, who was second in Chester, could go that way as well."
Ryan Moore riding Auguste Rodin win The Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster. (Getty)
Charlie Appleby talks about Military Order via the Godolphin blog
“From the team’s point of view, we’re very happy with him. He came out of his Lingfield Derby Trial win very well and we’ve been very pleased with him since.”
“He’s improving week on week physically, and we can’t fault him to date on what he has been doing in his work and on the racecourse. He goes out and gets the job done in the mornings without being flash."
“He’s a mile-and-a-half horse, so you don’t expect flashy work. That hasn’t changed from his two-year-old days and I wouldn’t expect it to change."
“Military Order, like his brother Adayar, goes out and gets the job done.”
Alan Cooper, racing manager to owners the Niarchos Family, discusses Passenger
"The horse is very well in himself and he's grown up considerably, physically and mentally. Hopefully he should be very competitive."
Frankie Dettori discusses his final Derby ride aboard Arrest
"He’s been very full of himself the last few weeks and, to be honest, when I announced my retirement in December, I never thought I’d have a horse with this good a chance in the Derby."
"I was hoping to find a ride, but this guy has a very good chance of winning it, so it’s very exciting."
"It looks a very open Derby, but we tick as many boxes as any of them."
"He’s got a bit of a high knee action, everyone knows that, but that’s why we took him to Epsom for the gallops morning and he seemed to go round Tattenham Corner fine."
"The ground will be very different to Chester when it was soft, but I don’t expect Epsom to be rock hard. Andrew Cooper (Clerk of the Course) does a very good job."
"Overall, I feel pretty chilled and relaxed, which is completely the opposite to how I thought I would feel heading into my final Derby."
Frankie Dettori riding Arrest comfortably win The Boodles Chester Vase Stakes at Chester. (Getty)
Sprewell's owner, Mohamed Khalid Abdulrahim talks about his runner
"I'm very excited, trust me. I have been waiting a long time for this horse. It is going to be a huge day for my father and I and, as I said, we have been looking forward for a really long time for a horse like Sprewell. We're very fortunate."
"Team Harrington keep telling us that Sprewell is probably the best colt that they have ever had over this distance, honestly. I mean, I couldn't believe it, but that's what Jessica thinks."
"They have done a fantastic job with the horse and we're delighted, obviously. They are an amazing team and Jessica is obviously a super tough woman, which makes this story even better. I would be so happy for them if we can win the Derby, not just for my father and I, but for the Harringtons as well."
Jockey Colin Keane talks about his ride, White Birch
"It looks a wide-open Derby. There doesn't look to be a standout contender to me. Maybe that will change on Saturday but certainly before the race there's nothing that sticks out."
"It was a massive run from White Birch in the Dante. I loved the way he finished his race and how he hit the line, so you would imagine the extra two furlongs in the Derby will be no problem to him at all. He goes there with every chance and I'm really looking forward to it."
"It's brilliant to get the call-up and I'm absolutely delighted. You would have to feel for Shane (Foley, Sprewell's jockey), though. You wait your whole life for a Derby horse and then he has two come along at once. Unbelievable."
"I've never ridden in the Derby before, so I'm looking forward to it. I rode for Aidan (O'Brien) in the Oaks last year, but that was it. You grow up watching the Derby on the TV every year as a child and it's the race every young jockey dreams of winning. To have a ride in it now is just brilliant. I'm very lucky to get the call-up from John and George (trainer's son). We've had a bit of luck together over the years and hopefully that can continue."
Andrew Balding talks up The Foxes' chances
"From an early age we could see he was a decent horse and he was a beautiful yearling. When he came in and we sat him upsides in work he looked to have quality about him."
"He ran well enough first time out at Newbury. Royal Ascot is very important to King Power and as a result we geared him towards the Chesham."
"He ran no sort of race and was a huge disappointment. We thought he was our brightest prospect of the whole meeting."
"We regrouped and he went and won his maiden at Goodwood then he won the Royal Lodge. He did well to win that as he sat out the back for much of it but he showed his class."
"It was really after that that we started assessing what his three year old objective would be and we started with the Derby and decided to work back from that."
"We identified him from an early stage that he was a horse worthy of one of the names that was reserved. It is an important name to the family and I hope we can do it justice."
The Foxes (third right) beating White Birch (left) and Passenger (centre) in the Dante. (Getty)
Charlie Johnston talks about his two runners
Dubai Mile
"When a horse can win in a gruelling finish over a mile and a quarter on heavy ground in their two-year-old career, you can have reasonable confidence that a mile and a half will be within their compass as a three-year-old."
"Ever since Saint Cloud the Derby has been Dubai Mile’s No 1 goal. On pure form and ratings, he is right up there with the principals in the race."
"There is only Arrest and Auguste Rodin rated higher than him and that is not by much. He is a Group One winner who has done very little wrong in his career to date. I feel he is a very solid candidate."
Dear My Friend
“We got squashed at the start (of the Dante Stakes). It was a funny race, we dawdled and then one took off which opened the race up. We got sucked into the race nicely and I knew his stamina would come into play, he galloped out strong.
“You’d think he’d stay 10 furlongs fine but he’s quite a strong traveller so over 12 he would have to settle better, he was quite fresh today with it being his first run. He would need to relax a bit better but these Johnston horses do stay well.”
Ed Walker discusses the chances of Waipiro
“He didn’t show a lot on his debut at Kempton Park but we left him in the Derby for a reason. It wasn’t a total surprise that he won at Newmarket but it was obviously very pleasing. The result was very rewarding and he stepped up again at Lingfield."
“We are just hoping we get Waipiro in as good shape as we can and that he runs a true, honest race and that Tom (Marquand) gives him a good ride, which no doubt he will."
“The rest is out of our hands and if he is good enough or not we will only discover on the day.”
Artistic Star's trainer, Ralph Beckett speaks to the press
"Artistic Star is a very different shape to Westover (3rd in last year's Derby) but that is not a negative in any sense. For us it has always been about whether the horses are balanced enough to handle Epsom and we think he is. He has also been a quick learner."
"The combination of the two means the track is unlikely to hold any fears for him. It is just a question of whether he is good enough. We think he has improved for the Sandown run."
"If you train for Jeff (Smith, owner) you are encouraged to have a go. We all remember when that paid off with Arabian Queen. Hopefully, it will pay off for him on Saturday."
Roger Varian talks about his runner, King Of Steel
"It was a shame he didn’t run in the Dante as I thought he would have finished in the mix on the Knavesmire, which would have set him up nicely for this."
"In the end that wasn’t to be, but his work has been really good all spring and to me he looks potentially a good horse. He’s taking a rather unconventional route to the Derby but he’s bred to get the trip and I believe he’s capable of outrunning his odds."
Epsom Profile
