Epsom Derby: Telecaster and Sir Dragonet added to field
- Published
Telecaster beat Too Darn Hot to win the Dante Stakes at York
An £85,000 late-entry fee has been paid by the owners of the Hughie Morrison-trained Telecaster for the colt to be added to the line-up for the Epsom Derby on Saturday.
Telecaster won the Dante Stakes at York and is already fourth in the betting for flat racing's premier Classic.
An original entry for Telecaster was cancelled in March at which point he had never set foot on a racecourse.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Sir Dragonet has also been added to the field.
A maximum of 15 runners will take part in the 240th Derby, eight of them trained by O'Brien.
As well as Sir Dragonet, the Chester Vase winner, his challenge is headed by Broome and Anthony Van Dyck, both of which have been successful in Derby trials, at Leopardstown and Lingfield respectively.
Analysis
BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
This is great news for the Derby - it means that the late-entry system ensures the race will contain two really important 'late developers' in Telecaster and Sir Dragonet.
The absence of either or both would have left a hole in the race, so all of the owners involved should be congratulated for stomping up the not inconsiderable cash required.
Sir Dragonet has obviously been the subject of much interest because he's trained by Aidan O'Brien, but what Telecaster has achieved since making his debut in very late March - when second behind Bangkok, another big fancy - has been spectacular.