CIRRUS DES AIGLES HEADLINES INVESTEC CORONATION CUP 35 Entries for the Group One Investec Coronation Cup, with increased prize money of £350,000, at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 1, are revealed today and include the world's top-rated horse Cirrus Des Aigles and St Nicholas Abbey, who is after an unprecedented third success in the mile and half showpiece. St Nicholas Abbey captured the prestigious contest in 2011 and 2012 and is one of nine entries from Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien. The six-year-old gained his fifth Group One victory on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan on Saturday (March 30), when running on strongly to land the Dubai Sheema Classic by two and a quarter lengths from Japanese star Gentildonna. O'Brien is chasing his seventh win in the Investec Coronation Cup and his other notable contenders include last season's Investec Oaks heroine Was, Group One winner Imperial Monarch and 2011 Investec Derby fourth Memphis Tennessee. Parish Hall, trained by Jim Bolger, is the other Irish-trained entry and has not run since winning the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October, 2011. Cirrus Des Aigles, trained in France by Corine Barande-Barbe, is the highest-rated horse in training and was only beaten a length and three quarters by the mighty Frankel when the pair met in the Group One QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot in October. The seven-year-old landed two Group One events last season but has not run since sustaining a slight leg injury while being prepared for the Hong Kong Cup in December. Barande-Barbe revealed: "The Investec Coronation Cup is a possible option for Cirrus Des Aigles. I don't know where or when I am going to start him off this year so I just wanted to have a door open. "It might be too hard a race to try and win first time out so we will have to see if we can do anything before then but the horse will tell me when he is ready to run. "He is well at the moment and has totally recovered from his injury but I just want to give him time. I think he can do really well this season and that is why I want to take it slowly with him because when you give horses time, they don't age. "The Champion Stakes at Ascot will be his big target again this year and we will also look at the King George. "I don't feel pressure training him but I just want to do the best by the horse and give him the best chance of success." There are two other possible representatives from France, both from the stable of Mikel Delzangles. Dunaden has proved himself a top-class globetrotter capturing two Group One handicaps in Australia, including the 2011 Melbourne Cup, plus a Hong Kong Vase, and was fourth to St Nicholas Abbey in the 2013 Dubai Sheema Classic. Ridasiyna emerged as one of Europe's leading middle-distance fillies last season with a comfortable success in the Group One Prix de l'Opera in October. Godolphin's three entries are headlined by Encke, who lowered the colours of Camelot in last season's Ladbrokes St Leger, and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe third Masterstroke, while Prince Khalid Abdullah's three possibles include Frankel's three-parts brother Noble Mission. As well as Noble Mission, trainer Sir Henry Cecil is responsible for Group Two King Edward VII Stakes scorer Thomas Chippendale and the highly-regarded World Domination. Roger Charlton's Al Kazeem looked a potential star when seeing off a high-class field in last season's Group Two Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket but has not run since, while Shirocco Star, trained by Hughie Morrison, could bid for a deserved Group One triumph after filling the runner-up spot in last season's Investec Oaks and Irish Oaks. Trainer David Lanigan has enjoyed a good start at his new base in Lambourn and could saddle his first runner in the Investec Coronation Cup. He has entered last season's Investec Derby second Main Sequence and Biographer, who remains unexposed after an easy Listed success at Ascot in October. Red Cadeaux, trained by Ed Dunlop, chased home St Nicholas Abbey in last year's renewal and gained a deserved Group One success when landing the Hong Kong Vase in December. He ran a fine race on his return this year when taking second behind Animal Kingdom in the US$10-million Dubai World Cup last Saturday. Unbridled Command, winner of the Grade One Hollywood Derby in November, and Canadian International scorer Joshua Tree could have their first starts for Dunlop after moving from Tom Bush and Marco Botti respectively. German trainer Peter Schiergen has entered Girolamo, who won the Group One Preis Von Europa at Cologne in September. Schiergen sent out Boreal to win the Investec Coronation Cup in 2002. The international theme continues with Alban de Mieulle's Very Nice Name, who was unbeaten in three starts in Qatar earlier this year, including two local Group Ones. The four-year-old, formerly based in France with Freddy Head, continued his improvement on Dubai World Cup night when third to St Nicholas Abbey in the Dubai Sheema Classic. The Investec Coronation Cup is the third race (2.40pm) on the second day of the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 1 when the premier Classic, the Investec Derby, is staged. Prize money for the Investec Coronation Cup has risen from £300,000 to £350,000 this year. The first day, Investec Ladies' Day featuring the fillies' Classic, the Investec Oaks, is on Friday, May 31.
THE INVESTEC CORONATION CUP Class 1, Group 1, £350,000 Total Prize Fund. 2.40pm, Saturday, June 1, 2013. For 4yo+, 1m 4f 10yds. Weights: colts & geldings 9st; fillies 8st 11lb. Entries closed April 3, entries revealed April 4 (35 entries), scratchings deadline May 14, six-day confirmation & £25,000 supplementary entry stage May 27, final declaration stage 10.00am, May 30. Form figures correct up to and including Monday, April 1. May not include some overseas form. Form Horse Age Owner Trainer 21222/1- AL KAZEEM 5 John Deer Roger Charlton 1(2)121- BIOGRAPHER 4 Bjorn Nielsen David Lanigan 61114- CHAMONIX (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE 0201(6)-6 CHAPTER SEVEN 4 Pearl Bloodstock Ltd Stuart Williams (2)112d12- CIRRUS DES AIGLES (FR) 7 Jean-Claude Alain Dupouy Corine Barande-Barbe FR 1/16630- COQUET 4 Hon Mary Morrison & Partners Hughie Morrison 272(1)27- DANDINO 6 Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock Marco Botti 26105-4 DUNADEN 7 Pearl Bloodstock Ltd Mikel Delzangles FR 32-(1)(1) EL SALVADOR (IRE) 4 Annemarie O'Brien Aidan O'Brien IRE 21/1231- ENCKE (USA) 4 Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni 45/2416- ENERGIZER (GER) 4 Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni (1)00(2)- ERNEST HEMINGWAY (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE 43451-0 GIROLAMO (GER) 4 Gestut Ebbesloh Peter Schiergen GER 616012- HAJRAS (IRE) 4 Hamdan Al Maktoum Mark Johnston 1/1016-6 IMPERIAL MONARCH (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE 421310- JOSHUA TREE (IRE) 6 K K Al Nabooda & K Albahou Ed Dunlop 5/6(1)/5- JUSTIFICATION 5 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE 1(1)2425- MAIN SEQUENCE (USA) 4 Niarchos Family David Lanigan 3- MARCHESE MARCONI (IRE) 4 Annemarie O'Brien Aidan O'Brien IRE 122113- MASTERSTROKE (USA) 4 Godolphin Mahmood Al Zarooni (1)/243/10- MEMPHIS TENNESSEE (IRE) 5 Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE 3/123-1 MODEL PUPIL 4 Khalid Abdullah Charlie Hills 122142- NOBLE MISSION 4 Khalid Abdullah Sir Henry Cecil 12021/ PARISH HALL (IRE) 4 Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE 33001-(2) RED CADEAUX 7 The Hon Ronnie Arculli Ed Dunlop 111514- RIDASIYNA (FR) 4 H H Aga Khan Mikel Delzangles FR 232422- SHIROCCO STAR 4 Helena Springfield Ltd Hughie Morrison 301121- SIR GRAHAM WADE (IRE) 4 Paul Dean Mark Johnston 3/42122- STENCIVE 4 Bernard Kantor & Markus Jooste William Haggas 33303-1 ST NICHOLAS ABBEY (IRE) 6 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE 1/51150- THOMAS CHIPPENDALE (IRE) 4 Sir Robert Ogden Sir Henry Cecil 11111-3 UNBRIDLED COMMAND (USA) 4 Bamford, Bamford, Lakin & Bernsen Ed Dunlop 23-1113 VERY NICE NAME (FR) 4 H H Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Thani Alban de Mieulle QAT 314330- WAS (IRE) 4 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE 140/6(6)- WORLD DOMINATION (USA) 5 Khalid Abdullah Sir Henry Cecil
