The 246th running of the Derby at Epsom on Saturday 7th June will be run in honour of the Aga Khan IV, and the Aga Khan Studs have supplemented unbeaten Midak into the illustrious line-up.  

"He worked very well last week and Francis [Graffard, trainer] is very happy with him so he'll work again tomorrow and if we're happy with him then the plan is to supplement," said racing manager Nemone Routh on Saturday. "We definitely feel he will stay a mile and a half, Mickael [Barzalona, jockey] had a job pulling him up last time in the Greffulhe and his dam stayed 3,000 metres [a mile and seven furlongs]. 

"There are a lot of unknowns but we think he'll act around the track as he's a balanced horse. He's a big horse which is a bit of an unknown but Mickael thinks he'll act on the course and we believe he will stay.

"We're hopeful and we felt there was no obvious race for him before the Grand Prix de Paris and we didn't want to wait two months. We already had runners in the Jockey Club and, as the race is run in His Highness's honour, Francis spoke to Princess Zahra and everyone felt it was a nice thing to do." 

The Aga Khan IV won this famous Classic race five times between 1981 and 2016, emulating his grandfather, who achieved the same feat in the first half of the 20th century. 

The record-breaking 10-length victory of Shergar in the 1981 Derby was followed by wins for Shahrastani (1986), Kahyasi (1988), Sinndar (2000) and Harzand (2016).  

 “My family and I are incredibly grateful to Epsom and The Jockey Club for running the race in honour of my father,” commented Princess Zahra Aga Khan.

“The Derby is an iconic event that he deeply loved and winning it for the first time with Shergar brought him immense pride and joy. It gave him the sense that the work his father and grandfather had accomplished with the breeding operation was being carried forward. 

 “He eventually matched the record of my great-grandfather when Harzand secured his fifth Derby victory — a wonderful achievement.” 

Jim Allen, General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, added: “His Highness the Aga Khan’s enormous contribution to racing in Europe is one which spans not only decades but generations and we wanted to pay tribute to him in the most fitting way possible. 

“His famous silks were a familiar sight at Epsom Downs for more than 40 years and were worn by jockeys in some of the most famous renewals of the Derby of all time, from the breathtaking and record-breaking success of Shergar in 1981 to the very poignant moment in 2016 when Harzand’s victory equalled his grandfather’s total of five Derby winners. 

“I would like to thank the Aga Khan’s family for supporting us in our decision to rename this year’s race and look forward to welcoming Princess Zahra Aga Khan on Saturday 7th June as our guest. 

“We are also grateful to our sponsor, Betfred, for their help in making this possible and all of us at Epsom Downs Racecourse hope that we witness a race that is worthy of his memory next month.”