Fitzdares Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes
Listed, Lingfield 15:35
£60,000 guaranteed,
3yo only,
1m 4f, Class 1   
Saturday 13th May 2023

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1 Military Order EvsF
2 Waipiro 10/1
3 Circle of Fire 11/4
8 ran Distances: 1¼l, 4¼l, 2l
Time: 2m 27.74s (fast by 0.26s)

With waterlogging to Lingfield’s turf track meaning this was run on the all-weather for the first time since Main Sequence’s victory in 2012, William Buick had Military Order travelling nicely behind the pace set by James Tate’s Regal Empire. 

The pack began to bunch as the eight-strong field approached the home bend and when Regal Empire angled out spinning the turn, Buick seized the opportunity to nimbly slip up the inner and set sail for home with Ed Walker’s Waipiro the only one to match strides with the athletic son of Frankel. 

The duo went toe-to-toe up the home straight, but it was the even-money favourite who came out on top by a length and a quarter at the winning post, with a further four and a quarter lengths back to the King’s Circle Of Fire in third. 

Although the race has provided Charlie Appleby with a Derby winner in the past, it is the first time he has won the Listed event and Military Order now heads to Epsom as QuinnBet’s 4-1 joint-favourite alongside Auguste Rodin, while Coral made the colt their outright 7-2 market leader. 

“He did everything I asked him. He’s come through that really well and will have learned plenty, not that he needed to be shown,” said Buick.

“Today was a different test to Newbury, but when I asked him to quicken into a gap running downhill he didn’t hesitate. He was totally relaxed and beautifully balanced.”

Alex Merriam, Appleby’s assistant, said: “It was pretty straightforward. It took him a while to get rolling, but he saw it out strongly.

“All systems are go for Epsom, he’s had a run on grass and now a run down a bit of a hill.

“Last year we were blessed with some good milers but this year we have some nice mile-and-a-quarter and mile-and-a-half types.

“Military Order is a similar size to Adayar, but a sharper model.”

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Derby Trial Stakes (Listed)
£60,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Standard (All Weather)

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (5)    Military Order 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby William Buick EvsF
2 (2) 1¼ Waipiro 3 9-2 Ed Walker Rob Hornby 10/1
3 (7) 4¼ Circle Of Fire 3 9-2 Sir Michael Stoute Ryan Moore 11/4
4 (3) 2 Laafi 3 9-2 William Haggas Richard Kingscote 22/1
5 (4) 1 Think First 3 9-2 James Tate Marco Ghiani 66/1
6 (1) 1¾ Ndaawi 3 9-2 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 22/1
7 (6) hd Regal Empire 3 9-2 James Tate Sam James 16/1
8 (8) 3½ Inquiring Minds 3 9-2 John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin 9/1

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