Elm Park (horse)

Elm Park made his debut in a seven furlong maiden race at Sandown Park Racecourse on 30 July. Ridden by David Probert he showed his inexperience ("ran green") and finished third of the eight runners behind the 8/15 favourite Latharnach. In a similar event at Newbury Racecourse on 15 August he started favourite against twelve opponents and won by three lengths having taken the lead two furlongs from the finish.[5] Two weeks later the colt was stepped up in class and distance and started favourite for the Listed Stonehenge Stakes over one mile at Salisbury Racecourse. He led from the start and drew away in the final furlong to win by three lengths.[6]

Andrea Atzeni took over from Probert when Elm Park contested the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes over one mile at Newmarket Racecourse on 27 September. He started the 11/4 second favourite behind the Barry Hills-trained Nafaqa, who had won the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster earlier in the month. Elm Park appeared to stumble exiting the starting stalls and again a furlong out but recovered to take the lead 100 yards from the finish and won by a length from Nafaqa, with a gap of four lengths back to Salateen in third.[7] On his final appearance of the season Elm Park was stepped up to Group One class for the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on 25 October and was made 13/8 favourite against seven opponents headed by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Jacobean. The colt was sent into the lead by Atzeni after a quarter of a mile and set the pace before pulling away in the final furlong to win by two and three quarter lengths from the O'Brien second-string Aloft.[8]

Elm Park was initially aimed at the 2000 Guineas but was withdrawn from the race as Balding felt that he would have been unsuited by the prevailing firm ground.[9] On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Elm Park contested the Group Two Dante Stakes at York Racecourse, a major trial for the 2015 Epsom Derby which attracted a strong field. The colt started 7/2 second favourite behind Jack Hobbs, with the other contenders including John F Kennedy, Nafaqa, Golden Horn (winner of the Feilden Stakes) and Ol' Man River (Beresford Stakes). Elm Park took the lead three furlongs from the finish but was overtaken in the final furlong and finished third behind Golden Horn and Jack Hobbs.

On 6 June, Elm Park, ridden by Atzeni, started the 9/1 fourth choice in the betting for the 236th running of the Epsom Derby. He started quickly and battled for the lead with Hans Holbein in the early stages as Atzeni struggled to restrain him. He was still among the leaders in the straight but tired badly in the last quarter mile and finished eleventh of the twelve runners behind Golden Horn.

Elm Park was off the course for more than three months after the Derby, before eventually reappearing in the Listed Fortune Stakes over one mile on soft ground at Sandown on 16 September. Starting the 4/7 favourite he took the lead after two furlongs and won "comfortably"[10] by two lengths from the six-year-old Gabrial. The colt was then moved back up to Group One class for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot Racecourse a month later and started a 16/1 outsider. He led from the start but was overtaken approaching the final furlong and finished fifth of the nine runners behind Solow.