2021 Epsom Derby

The 2021 Epsom Derby was the 242nd annual running of the Derby horse race and took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 5 June 2021. The race was sponsored for the first time by the online car-dealer Cazoo.^[1]

2021 Epsom Derby

Epsom Derby
Location	Epsom Downs Racecourse
Date	5 June 2021
Winning horse	Adayar
Starting price	16/1
Jockey	Adam Kirby
Trainer	Charlie Appleby
Owner	Godolphin
Conditions	Good to Soft
← 2020 2022 →

Epsom Derby 2021

1-2-3
Adayar	Mojo Star	Hurricane Lane

Also Ran
4-5-6
Mac Swiney	Third Realm	One Ruler
7-8-9
Bolshoi Ballet	Youth Spirit	John Leeper
10-11
Gear Up	Southern Lights	11 Ran

The winner was Godolphin's bay colt Adayar, ridden by Adam Kirby and trained at Newmarket by Charlie Appleby. Godolphin and Appleby were winning the race for the second time, having taken the prize with Masar in 2018.^[2]

Build-up

Attendance was limited to 4,000 owing to government restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race took place after a period of hot, dry weather and the course officials resorted to watering the course to avoid unsuitably firm ground.^[3]

The race attracted 19 entrants at the five-day declaration stage, including three previous Group 1 winners, namely Mac Swiney, Van Gogh and Gear Up. The other contenders included Bolshoi Ballet (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial), Hurricane Lane (Dante Stakes), Youth Sprit (Chester Vase), Third Realm (Lingfield Derby Trial), Lone Eagle (Cocked Hat Stakes), High Definistion (Beresford Stakes), One Ruler (Autumn Stakes), John Leeper (Fairway Stakes) and Mohaafeth (Newmarket Stakes). There were ten entries from Ireland (six trained by Aidan O'Brien), nine from the United Kingdom (three trained by Charlie Appleby and none from continental Europe. The prospective field included five of the top six colts rated in the 8f+ category of the official classification of European two-year-olds for 2020, namely Mac Swiney, High Definition, Van Gogh, One Ruler and Gear Up.^[4]

On Wednesday 2 June Aidan O'Brien announced that Bolshoi Ballet would probably be his only runner in the race and that his five other entries, including the second favourite High Definition, would be directed to alternative targets.^[5] As O'Brien suggested High Definition, Kyprios, Sir Lamorak, The Mediterranean and Van Gogh were withdrawn from the race on 3 June. The other absentees from the final field of 12 were Lone Eagle and Seattle Sound.^[6] On the day of the race Mohaafeth was announced as a non-runner on account of the unsuitable ground conditions.

Race card

No	Draw	Horse	Weight (st–lb)	Jockey	Trainer	Owner
1	1	Adayar	9–0	Adam Kirby	Charlie Appleby	Godolphin
2	9	Bolshoi Ballet	9–0	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien (IRE)	Tabor, Smith, Magnier
3	6	Gear Up	9–0	Ben Curtis	Mark Johnston	Teme Valley
4	5	Hurricane Lane	9–0	William Buick	Charlie Appleby	Godolphin
5	12	John Leeper	9–0	Frankie Dettori	Ed Dunlop	Anamoine Ltd
6	8	Mac Swiney	9–0	Kevin Manning	Jim Bolger (IRE)	Jackie Bolger
7	4	Mohaafeth	9–0	Jim Crowley	William Haggas	Shadwell Estate
8	10	Mojo Star	9–0	David Egan	Richard Hannon Jr.	Amo Racing Ltd
9	11	One Ruler	9–0	James Doyle	Charlie Appleby	Godolphin
10	3	Southern Lights	9–0	Declan McDonogh	Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE)	Aquis Racing & Al Mamoura Partnership
11	2	Third Realm	9–0	Andrea Atzeni	Roger Varian	Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum
12	7	Youth Spirit	9–0	Tom Marquand	Andrew Balding	Ahmad Al Shaikh

Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Full result

	Dist *	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	SP
1		Adayar	Adam Kirby	Charlie Appleby	16/1
2	4½	Mojo Star	David Egan	Richard Hannon Jr.	50/1
3	3¼	Hurricane Lane	William Buick	Charlie Appleby	6/1
4	3¼	Mac Swiney	Kevin Manning	Jim Bolger (IRE)	8/1
5	nk	Third Realm	Andrea Atzeni	Roger Varian	14/1
6	3	One Ruler	James Doyle	Charlie Appleby	17/2
7	2¾	Bolshoi Ballet	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien (IRE)	11/8 fav
8	2	Youth Spirit	Tom Marquand	Andrew Balding	25/1
9	1¼	John Leeper	Frankie Dettori	Ed Dunlop	8/1
10	¾	Gear Up	Ben Curtis	Mark Johnston	50/1
11	21	Southern Lights	Declan McDonogh	Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE)	33/1

Winning time: 2 min 36.85 sec

* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths or shorter; nse = nose; hd = head.
† Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Form analysis

Two-year-old races

Notable runs by the future Derby participants as two-year-olds in 2020

• Gear Up – 1st in Acomb Stakes, 1st in Criterium de Saint-Cloud^[7]
• Mac Swiney – 1st in Vertem Futurity Trophy, 1st in Futurity Stakes^[8]
• One Ruler – 1st in Autumn Stakes, 2nd in Vertem Futurity Trophy, 3rd in Flying Scotsman Stakes^[9]
• Youth Spirit – 3rd in Vintage Stakes^[10]

Road to Epsom

Early-season appearances in 2021 and trial races prior to running in the Derby:

• Adayar – 2nd in Sandown Classic Trial, 2nd in Lingfield Derby Trial^[11]
• Bolshoi Ballet – 1st in Ballysax Stakes, 1st in Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial^[12]
• Hurricane Lane – 1st in Dante Stakes^[13]
• John Leeper – 1st in Fairway Stakes^[14]
• Mohaafeth – 1st in Newmarket Stakes^[15]
• Mac Swiney – 1st in Irish 2000 Guineas^[8]
• Third Realm – 1st in Lingfield Derby Trial^[16]
• Youth Spirit – 1st in Chester Vase^[10]

Subsequent Group 1 wins

Group 1 / Grade I victories after running in the Derby:

• Adayar - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2021)
• Bolshoi Ballet – Belmont Derby (2021), Sword Dancer Stakes (2023)
• Hurricane Lane – Irish Derby (2021), Grand Prix de Paris (2021), St Leger Stakes (2021)

See also

• 2021 British Champions Series