1996 Epsom Derby

217th annual running of the Derby horse race

1996 Epsom Derby
Location	Epsom Downs Racecourse
Date	8 June 1996
Winning horse	Shaamit
Starting price	12/1
Jockey	Michael Hills
Trainer	William Haggas
Owner	Khalifa Dasmal
← 1995 1997 →

Epsom Derby 1996
1-2-3

Shaamit	Dushyantor	Shantou

Also Ran
4-5-6

Glory Of Dancer	Alhaarth	Mystic Knight
7-8-9

Jack Jennings	Acharne	Chief Contender
10-11-12

Double Leaf	Classic Eagle	Tasdid
13-14-15

Even Top	Spartan Heartbeat	Storm Trooper
16-17-18

Zaforum	St Mawes	Busy Flight
19-20

Prince Of My Heart	Portuguese Lil	20 Ran

The 1996 Epsom Derby was a horse race which took place at Epsom Downs on Saturday 8 June 1996. It was the 217th running of the Derby, and it was won by Shaamit. The winner was ridden by Michael Hills and trained by William Haggas. The pre-race favourite Dushyantor finished second.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Race details

Sponsor: Vodafone
Winner's prize money: £523,100
Going: Good (Good to Firm in places)
Number of runners: 20
Winner's time: 2m 35.05s

Full result

	*	Horse	Jockey	Trainer ^†	SP
1		Shaamit	Michael Hills	William Haggas	12/1
2	1¼	Dushyantor	Pat Eddery	Henry Cecil	9/2 fav
3	1¼	Shantou	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden	25/1
4	1	Glory of Dancer	Olivier Peslier	Paul Kelleway	6/1
5	hd	Alhaarth	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	15/2
6	1¼	Mystic Knight	Kevin Darley	Roger Charlton	14/1
7	1	Jack Jennings	John Reid	Bryan McMahon	25/1
8	1¼	Acharne	Warren O'Connor	Clive Brittain	200/1
9	1¾	Chief Contender	David Harrison	Peter Chapple-Hyam	15/1
10	½	Double Leaf	Johnny Murtagh	Michael Stoute	16/1
11	nk	Classic Eagle	Allan Mackay	Roger Harris	200/1
12	shd	Tasdid	Willie Supple	Kevin Prendergast (IRE)	200/1
13	hd	Even Top	Philip Robinson	Mark Tompkins	11/2
14	6	Spartan Heartbeat	Mark Birch	Clive Brittain	200/1
15	1½	Storm Trooper	Michael Kinane	Henry Cecil	15/2
16	1¾	Zaforum	Dane O'Neill	Les Montague Hall	150/1
17	1	St Mawes	Richard Quinn	John Dunlop	20/1
18	5	Busy Flight	Cash Asmussen	Barry Hills	25/1
19	7	Prince of My Heart	Brent Thomson	Barry Hills	100/1
20	3	Portuguese Lil (filly)	Alex Greaves	David Nicholls	500/1

* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths or shorter. shd = short-head; hd = head; nk = neck.
† Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.

Winner's details

Further details of the winner, Shaamit:

Foaled: 11 February 1993, in Ireland
Sire: Mtoto; Dam: Shomoose (Habitat)
Owner: Khalifa Dasmal
Breeder: Khalifa Dasmal
Rating in 1996 International Classifications: 124

Form analysis

Two-year-old races

Notable runs by the future Derby participants as two-year-olds in 1995.

Glory of Dancer – 1st Gran Criterium
Alhaarth – 1st Vintage Stakes, 1st Solario Stakes, 1st Champagne Stakes, 1st Dewhurst Stakes
Jack Jennings – 6th Washington Singer Stakes, 3rd Royal Lodge Stakes
Acharne – 6th Royal Lodge Stakes
Even Top – 1st Somerville Tattersall Stakes, 2nd Racing Post Trophy
Storm Trooper – 2nd Autumn Stakes
Zaforum – 4th Zetland Stakes, 8th Prix Isonomy
Busy Flight – 2nd Haynes, Hanson and Clark Stakes, 2nd Horris Hill Stakes
Prince of My Heart – 6th Silver Tankard Stakes

The road to Epsom

Early-season appearances in 1996 and trial races prior to running in the Derby.

Dushyantor – 2nd Dante Stakes
Glory of Dancer – 2nd Sandown Classic Trial, 1st Dante Stakes
Alhaarth – 2nd Craven Stakes, 4th 2,000 Guineas
Mystic Knight – 1st Lingfield Derby Trial
Jack Jennings – 3rd Feilden Stakes, 3rd Dante Stakes
Acharne – 5th Premio Parioli, 6th Lingfield Derby Trial
Double Leaf – 4th Sandown Classic Trial, 5th Dante Stakes
Classic Eagle – 7th Thirsk Classic Trial, 6th Chester Vase
Tasdid – 3rd Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes, 4th Amethyst Stakes
Even Top – 2nd 2,000 Guineas
Storm Trooper – 1st Feilden Stakes, 11th 2,000 Guineas, 6th Dante Stakes
Zaforum – 3rd Lingfield Derby Trial
St Mawes – 2nd Feilden Stakes, 2nd Chester Vase, 3rd Predominate Stakes
Busy Flight – 6th Sandown Classic Trial
Prince of My Heart – 3rd Chester Vase
Portuguese Lil – 10th 1,000 Guineas

Subsequent Group 1 wins

Group 1 / Grade I victories after running in the Derby.

Shantou – St. Leger (1996), Gran Premio del Jockey Club (1996), Gran Premio di Milano (1997)
Chief Contender – Prix du Cadran (1997)
Storm Trooper – Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap (1998)

Subsequent breeding careers

Leading progeny of participants in the 1996 Epsom Derby.^[4]^[5]

Sires of Classic winners

Alhaarth (5th)

Haafhd - 1st 2000 Guineas Stakes (2004)
Phoenix Reach - 1st Hong Kong Vase (2004)
Bandari - 3rd St Leger Stakes (2002)
Iktitaf - 1st Morgiana Hurdle (2006)

Shaamit (1st)

Bollin Eric - 1st St Leger Stakes (2002)

Sires of Group/Grade One winners

Even Top (13th)

Cirrus des Aigles - Champion Older Horse (2011)

Sires of National Hunt horses

Shantou (3rd)

The Storyteller - 1st Champion Novice Chase (2018)
Ballynagour - 1st Prix la Barka (2015)
Beware The Bear - 1st Festival Trophy Handicap Chase (2019)
Bun Doran - 1st Desert Orchid Chase (2019)

Dushyantor (2nd) - also shuttled to Chile

Loosen My Load - 1st Sharp Novices' Hurdle (2009)
Shop Dj - 2nd Champion Novice Chase (2012)

Busy Flight (18th)

Mister Quasimodo - 3rd Desert Orchid Chase (2007)
Impulsive Star - 1st Classic Chase (2019)

Other Stallions

Glory Of Dancer (4th) - Minor flat winners - Exported to India
Storm Trooper (15th) - Exported to India

Broodmare

Portuguese Lil (20th) - Sole runner tailed off in bumper only start

References

^ 1996
^ sportinglife.com
^ Derby Days. Tempus. 2004. p. 152. ISBN 0-7524-3202-8.
^ "Stammtafeln". Galopp Sieger. Galopp Sieger. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
^ "Profiles Search". Racing Post. Retrieved 23 April 2020.

External links

Colour Chart – Derby 1996

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