ANATOLY ROMPS TO DERBY VICTORY

Gazi Derby was held on June 26th, Sunday at the Veliefendi Racecourse, with 850.000 TL winner prizemoney for 3yo 22 Thoroughbreds competed on 2400 m. Turf and Osman HATTAT’s ANATOLY won the race with the jockey Halis KARATAŞ with the timing 02.27.83. Hanbeş were placed second, Little Gangster were placed third and Tough Guy were placed fourth respectively at the race. Distance 5 L-1/2 L – Neck.

The 85th Gazi Derby certainly lived up to its reputation, drawing in twenty two leading three year-olds of the year and throwing up an emphatic classic winner.
 
Anatoly (Red Bishop), a home-bred colt who had only made his career debut in February and had just once run in group company, ran away with the most prestigious race in Turkey by a margin of five lengths.
 
Coming into this race on the back of a second place in a 2200m (11f) Gr.3 Derby trial three weeks ago he was no obvious choice then but was backed down to 2.85/1 this morning. The colt who stormed home in that Derby Trial, Unforgettable (Bin Ajwaad), was sent off joint-favourite for the Derby but failed to repeat that achievement and could only finish a distant ninth.
 

The race had been billed as a confrontation between 1,000 Guineas winner Seker Remziye (Kaneko) and the first five home in the 2,000 Guineas, headlined by Dutyfree (Luxor). It never materialised but took nothing away from the result.
 
It was expected that Deluxe (Luxor), pacemaker for Dutyfree, would tackle Unforgettable for the early lead but never managed to get near the front. After much early barging Unforgettable, in a bid to utilise Derby Trial tactics, finally wove his way to the front after 800m (4f) but the renewed struggle with Time To Dance (Sri Pekan) took its toll and both began to tire at the final turn.
 
Anatoly, having been kept out of trouble in mid-division, found a good line right up the centre of the track and as the field turned for home jockey Karatas drove his colt on, took the lead 400m (2f) out and raced away to the line unchallenged.

Another race was materialising behind for second place between the consistent but lowly-rated Hanbes (Mohan), 2,000 Guineas fifth and seventh, Little Gangster (Bin Ajwaad) and Tough Guy (Unaccounted For). In the final strides Hanbes won out by a half-length with Little Gangster snatching third by a length.
 

Anatolys win gave Karatas his 4th Derby victory, his 3rd in the last 7 editions. In contrast, this was a maiden Derby success, as both owner and breeder, for Osman Hattat. Commenting after the race, Hattat suggested that Anatoly may now take in the Gr.1 Prime Ministry Cup over 2000m (1m2f) on 24th July or wait for the Gr.2 International Bosphorous Cup over 2400m (1m4f).

Anatolys victory also means that Red Bishop has now sired three Derby winners in the past six years, adding to Hizel Beyi in 2006 (also ridden by Halis Karatas) and Pan River in 2008.