Epsom Derby 2022: Nahanni Profile

Charlie Appleby will bid for more Classic glory on June 4, and one of those contenders flying the Godolphin flag in the Epsom Derby is Nahanni, who heads to Epsom Downs on the back of three wins on the bounce...

Nahanni

Sire: Frankel

Trainer: Charlie Appleby

Runs: 4

Wins: 3

Notable Race Wins: Blue Riband Trial

Having not made his debut until January 2022, Charlie Appleby's Nahanni has progressed superbly over the last few months, and he's now set to be handed the task of trying to hand the Godolphin team their second Derby in as many years. Appleby trained Adayar to victory in the race 12 months ago, and this year's 2000 Guineas-winning trainer will hope that Nahanni can continue his fine run of form, which has seen him win his last three races.

Beaten half-a-length on debut at Kempton, Nahanni used that run as a springboard to his first career win, which came at Kempton in early February, where he won a 1m 3f 219y contest by a length. The son of Frankel was already shaping into a smart middle distance performer, and was always showing the potential to be a potential black-type performer for the Appleby team, but it was his next two runs that booked his place at Epsom.

A facile nine-length success at Leicester at the start of April duly booked his place in the Listed Blue Riband Trial at Epsom a few weeks later, and at the home of the Derby he excelled around the idiosyncratic track by landing the 1m 2f event by a length.  He beat Aidan O'Brien's United Nations that day, and that Ballydoyle raider could lock horns again with him on Derby day, but Nahanni was a fine winner of that ten-furlong event in mid-April, and he has to be a lively outsider at huge odds.

Having already won over a mile-and-a-half, Nahanni will have no problems seeing out the Derby distance, and while he will need to continue to improve now taking on top quality rivals he lines up in the form of his life and can't be discounted.