NAYEF HEADS DERBY ACCEPTORS Ante-post favourite Nayef was among 149 horses who have stood their ground for this year`s Vodafone Derby following the first forfeit stage, it was announced today. Ireland`s champion trainer Aidan O`Brien has the largest squad for the Classic, run at Epsom Downs on June 9th, with 21 entries including the highly-touted Galileo, Hemingway, National Stakes winner Beckett and Mozart. Godolphin`s trainer Saeed bin Suroor has 17 entries, headed by Dewhurst Stakes and Prix de la Salamandre winner Tobougg, Rumpold and recent UAE 2000 Guineas victor Street Cry. Others prominent in the betting for the Classic include Racing Post Trophy hero Dilshaan and Chepstow maiden winner Golan, two of eight entries trained by Sir Michael Stoute, plus Theatre Script, winner of a Doncaster maiden on his only start for trainer John Gosden. All of the forfeits were entered for the stg#1million Derby as yearlings but there is a second entry stage on April 11, when horses can be added at a cost of stg#8,000. There is also a stg#75,000 supplementary entry stage a week before the Epsom classic on Saturday June 2. Andrew Cooper, group racing manager for Epsom`s owners United Racecourses, said: 'There are less than three months to go until the Vodafone Derby and we are very encouraged by the excellent number of horses that remain in the race including both last year`s top performers and some impeccably-bred less-exposed types.'
