Derby Delight
Mon 09 Jun 2025
Saturday, 7th June 2025, will live long in the memory for everyone connected with Middleham Park Racing, as Lazy Griff, our son of Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist, delivered an extraordinary performance to finish second in the world-famous Epsom Derby – the most historic race in Flat racing.
Trained superbly by Charlie Johnston and ridden with real composure by 10-time French champion jockey Christophe Soumillon, Lazy Griff lined up as one of 18 runners in the £1,500,000 Classic. Sent off at 50/1 in places, he may not have been among the market leaders, but his effort proved he belongs on the grandest stage of all.
Breaking well and travelling smoothly throughout, Lazy Griff settled nicely on the inside during the early stages behind the eventual winner, Lambourn. He handled the undulations of the historic Epsom Downs track and the pressure of the big occasion superbly. As the field turned for home, it became clear he was still full of running, and we began to get excited. Christophe switched him out to his right 3 furlongs from home and began to make his challenge. He soon went into 2nd, pulling clear of those behind him and began to close on Lambourn. However, the Coolmore-owned and Aidan O’Brien-trained colt kept finding under Wayne Lordan, and he ran out a 3 3/4 length winner.
Lazy Griff dug deep, showing heart, stamina and real class to hit the line in second. He, like Lambourn, kept finding all the way to the finish, holding off many of the sport’s biggest names. Though just denied Derby glory, his second-place finish stamped him as one of the top middle-distance 3-year-olds in Europe.
It was a moment of huge pride for everyone at MPR, not only for the owners involved with Lazy Griff but for our entire team. From Jeremy Brummitt sourcing him at the 2023 BBAG Yearling Sales in Germany to Richie and Nicky McGrath pre-training him in Middleham, and then onto Kingsley Park, where Charlie and his team have expertly masterminded his career so far. Lazy Griff's journey has been a true team effort, with many playing a vital role in his success. To finish second in the most prestigious Flat race in the world is a phenomenal achievement and testament to the hard work, planning and belief shown by all involved.
He earned an impressive £344,000 for his second-place finish, pushing our total prize money for the year close to the £1,000,000 mark. On top of that, he was awarded a TIMEFORM rating of 115, the highest of any of our horses currently in training.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/derby-festival/to-win-a-british-classic-would-be-the-ultimate-dream-syndicate-behind-50-1-derby-runner-up-aiming-big-after-epsom-heroics-awBKh3T1iyur/
Perhaps most special of all was the incredible support at Epsom. Over 150 of our owners and supporters were there in person to cheer him and our other six runners on the card, and the scenes on course afterwards summed up what syndicate ownership is all about. This result marked our joint highest-ever finish in a British Classic, alongside Ventura Storm in the 2016 running of the St Leger, and it's safe to say we are still on a high from the experience.
A huge thank you to everyone for the overwhelming number of kind messages and support we’ve received. We have been inundated and are grateful for each and every one.
Lazy Griff has now firmly etched his name into MPR history, and his future looks incredibly bright. We’ll take a moment to enjoy this huge achievement, but rest assured, we and Charlie already dreaming of the next chapter in his story. Whether that be the Irish Derby, German Derby or the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, with a possible tilt at the final Classic of the season, the St Leger down the line, the future looks incredibly exciting.