Galileo and Cape Cross set to have a big say at Epsom once again in 2020

Galileo and Cape Cross have dominated the pedigrees of recent winners of the Derby and their names proliferate in the breeding of the yearling entries for the 2020 Investec-sponsored renewal, which were released on Wednesday.

Galileo has sired three winners of the Classic – New Approach, Ruler Of The World and Australia – while New Approach fielded this year's laureate Masar.

Cape Cross, meanwhile, has supplied two winners in Sea The Stars and Golden Horn, and Sea The Stars is responsible for Harzand. The late Darley sire also features as damsire of Australia and Masar.

View the 2020 Derby entries

Coolmore phenomenon Galileo leads the way numerically among sires at this early stage of Derby entries, with 56 names in the hat.

They include offspring of Group/Grade 1 winners Acoma, Again, Airwave, Atlantic Jewel, Divine Proportions, Gilt Edge Girl, Homecoming Queen, Moonstone, Sharp Lisa, Simply Perfect and Tiggy Wiggy, as well as full or half-siblings to Group/Grade 1 winners Canford Cliffs, Churchill, Danedream, Gleneagles, Highland Reel, Misty For Me, Pour Moi, Seventh Heaven, Tiggy Wiggy and Was.

All are trained by Aidan O'Brien for owners the Coolmore partners, who have tasted victory in the Derby seven times in the new millennium and have 75 entries for the 2020 edition between them.

Among the other noteworthy Galileo yearlings entered in the race are the brother to Japan, Secret Gesture and Sir Isaac Newton bought by Coolmore for 3,400,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1, and sisters to Forever Together and Alice Springs purchased by Phoenix Thoroughbreds for €3.2 million and €2m at Goffs Orby.

Another with a tailor-made Derby pedigree is the Galileo half-brother to Golden Horn bought on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid for 450,000gns and in training with Kevin Ryan.

SIRES WITH TEN OR MORE ENTRIES IN THE 2020 DERBY

Sire (Stallion) and number entered

Galileo (Sadler's Wells) 56
Australia (Galileo) 24
Frankel (Galileo) 22
Golden Horn (Cape Cross) 18
Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) 18
Camelot (Montjeu) 16
Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) 13
Gleneagles (Galileo) 13
Teofilo (Galileo) 12
Lope De Vega (Shamardal) 11

Galileo's sons Australia and Frankel have the next highest numerical representation in the 2020 Derby entries, with 24 and 22 apiece.

Cape Cross got no mares in foal in 2016, his last year of active service at Kildangan Stud, so has no yearlings. But sons Golden Horn and Sea The Stars each have 18 progeny of that age entered in the Derby.

The 2012 Derby hero Camelot – one of a record-equalling four winners of the race by Montjeu – is next best, with 16 yearlings among the entries, ahead of Dubawi and another Galileo son, Gleneagles, both on 13.

Dubawi's Derby conscripts include Qatar Racing's brother to Too Darn Hot and Lah Ti Dar, at 3,500,000gns the most expensive yearling sold anywhere in the world this year. The unnamed colt is to be trained by John Gosden.

Among the more exotic pedigrees that feature on the list are four from the first crop of US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah: a half-brother to Chachamaidee and a colt out of Up from Ballydoyle, a half-brother to Giovanni Boldini owned by Qatar Racing and a colt out of Ridasiyna with Mikel Delzangles for owner-breeder the Aga Khan.

American Pharoah's sire, Pioneerof The Nile, has one entered in the 2020 Derby, a colt out of Mythical Bride bought by Coolmore for $575,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and with O'Brien.

There are also the Blue Stars Farm-owned Cosmo Predezza, a Japanese-bred colt by the White Muzzle stallion Asakusa Kings, colts by Japan's champion sire Deep Impact out of Dubawi Heights and Kissed By Angels, and also a filly by Gold Ship and colt by Lord Kanaloa.

The 356 yearling entries for the Derby are up from 339 at the same stage last year.

The entry stage for the race was instigated in 1991, for the 1993 renewal, and costs £560 per name. Owners can also enter horses at the £9,000 second entry stage in April 2020 and at the £85,000 supplementary stage on June 1, 2020.