The 2026 Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs could see a first US-trained runner in over 30 years with Greenwich Village among 88 entries revealed for the premier Classic.
A son of Quality Road, the Bob Baffert-trained Greenwich Village has won three of his four starts to date and was last seen out when successful in the mile Pasadena Stakes on turf at Santa Anita on Sunday.
The most recent challenger from the United States was the Michael Dickinson-trained Wolf Prince, eighth to Commander In Chief at 40/1 in 1993.
Tom Ryan, of joint-owners SF Racing, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The Jockey Club for extending an invitation to the Betfred Derby for Greenwich Village. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise for all of us, and something we don’t take lightly. It’s a very intriguing opportunity, and we’ll be giving it serious thought as we map out his path from the winter into the spring.
“We’ve loved seeing how he’s progressed, stretching out from six and a half furlongs to a mile on the turf, and he keeps finding and finishing through adversity, which is what you want to see from a developing three-year-old.
“He’s a big, powerful colt — and he’s bred to keep moving forward as distances increase. The Derby distance is the great unknown.
“We will be guided by Bob Baffert when it comes to making a decision. When we originally purchased him, we had the Kentucky Derby in mind. It would be quite a pivot if he ended up in Epsom Downs.”
The 88 entries also include two from Japan - Akkan (Takeshi Okumura) and Choreo Sequence (Yuta Sato).
The 2026 Betfred Derby, the 247th running, takes place at Epsom Downs on Saturday 6th June with a record total prize fund of £2 Million.
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