Sporting greatness is defined by achieving success at the pinnacle of the competitive echelon. For football, it is the World Cup or the Ballon d’Or for the individuals, in golf it is that illustrious green jacket, tennis prestige is synonymous with Wimbledon, and ice hockey has the heralded Stanley Cup.
Horse Racing’s glory is succeeding in the Epsom Derby. With a number of undulations, a pronounced camber and a stiff finish requiring balance, stamina and determination, the unique nature of the Derby is the ultimate test that has long shaped generation’s of the thoroughbred breed.
The inaugural contest was formed in 1780, and the history of the race has provided a number of household victors such as Njinsky, Mill Reef, Shergar, Galileo and Sea The Stars. The latter pair have contributed in abundance to the notion of the Derby as a ‘stallion making’ contest, particularly given Galileo himself is responsible for a leading five winners of the Derby and perhaps the most gifted racehorse in the modern era, Frankel.
Aidan O’Brien has a record ten winners in the race and has taken the last two runnings with Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy, completing a remarkable training performance in the process. The master trainer has the market leader once more in Delacroix, but could lightening strike three times in getting The Lion In Winter back from his Dante flop?
Market Leaders
Delacroix
The son of Dubawi bids to give his sire that all important first victory in the Derby, and Ryan Moore has nailed his colours to the saddle. Delacroix was progressive as a two-year-old last term, placing in the Champion Juvenile Stakes before landing the G3 Autumn Stakes, with his season culminating in a nose defeat to Hotazhell in the G1 Futurity Stakes, a race won by Auguste Rodin prior to his Derby feat. He’s evidently trained on to land the Ballysax and the Hotel Derby Trial in impressive fashion this season, and his well balanced, uncomplicated nature will stand him in good stead for this infamous test.
Ruling Court
Justify sired the winner in City Of Troy last season and he has another strong chance this time around with Ruling Court. The Godolphin inmate arrives on the back of a 2000 Guineas double, having bolted up in the Meydan renewal before staying on well to land the British version, with the second subsequently franking the form to land the Irish equivalent. His sole defeat came in the Dante Stakes as a two year old when two lengths behind The Lion In Winter. The last 2000 Guineas to win the Epsom Classic was Camelot in 2012 which demonstrates how tough it is to step up an extra four furlongs, but his pedigree bodes well enough for this trip and he’s one of just two in here this time for Godolphin.
Pride Of Arras
The Dante at York has become one of the most key trials in Derby success, with the trial throwing up a subsequent seven winners of the British Classic. Since 2004, North Light, Motivator, Authorized, Workforce and Golden Horn have all done the double and Pride Of Arras bids to add his name to such an illustrious list of honours. Out of the French Derby winner New Bay, Ralph Beckett’s charge comes into the race still something of an unknown quantity, having only had two career starts. He displayed a wonderful racing mind and an electric turn of foot at York, a track where some of the best can boil over, so with any natural improvement Pride Of Arras will be a big player, particularly given the range of stamina in his pedigree.
The Lion In Winter
Out of a Derby winner in Sea The Stars, The Lion In Winter looked something out of the ordinary when landing the Acomb Stakes at York on his second start as a two year old last season. Injury kept him out of the Futurity, and connections were adamant that he would come on for his run in the Dante despite being backed late on to go off at an SP of 8/11. While Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy both triumphed here after their blowouts in the 2000 Guineas, those races proved far too bad to be true whereas The Lion In Winter was only beaten four lengths. That said, he pulled the hands of Ryan Moore for around seven furlongs, and it was arguably a testament to his natural ability he was able to finish so close. Colin Keane takes the reigns which tempers enthusiasm give Moore jumps ship, but his initial promise isn’t a far fetched memory and he shouldn’t be discounted.
Damysus
Wathan Racing have pumped an influx of money into the game in recent years to attempt to mix it with racing’s powers, and they have a live chance to give John Gosden his third success in the Derby with Dante second Damysus. The son of Frankel shaped well in that contest behind Pride Of Arras having had to come up the unfavourable near-side, and given his dam won twice in black type company over the Derby trip, he has to be considered particularly on the back of his racecourse gallop here to adopt a slight edge over those without track experience.
Outsiders To Consider
Stanhope Gardens
In a recent article, Ralph Beckett noted that Stanhope Gardens was their number one Derby hope over the winter prior to a niggling injury and the dominance of Pride Of Arras, but his neck second to Delacroix in the Autumn Stakes suggest he shouldn’t be discounted. O’Brien’s charge had the rail to help that day and on pedigree a mile will have been the minimum trip for Stanhope Gardens at the highest level, so there’s reason to believe he can reverse the form. He was also beaten five lengths by Ruling Court on debut over an inadequate seven furlongs, and his wellbeing was confirmed when making light work of two runners in a Conditions race at Salisbury that was put on especially for him. He’s bred to make a better three year old, and the track at Epsom looks sure to suit given how he handled the undulations at Newmarket.
Tornado Alert
Saeed Bin Suroor won this with Lamtarra back in 1995 and while his string is much smaller of late, he stills remains a trainer who knows exactly when he has a good one and the services of Oisin Murphy have been booked on Tornado Alert. Despite coming into the 2000 Guineas with a career best RPR of 86, the Too Darn Hot colt shaped much better than the finishing position/distance suggested as he made most of the running under a keen hold in a race where the first three home were all ridden with restraint. The other prominent racer, Wimbledon Hawkeye, franked the form with a three lengths third in the Dante which bodes well for his chances, and both visually and on pedigree this trip should be within reach.
Verdict
RULING COURT hit the line strongly enough to suggest a foray into middle distances is within realm, and given he’s by last years’ winning sire Justify out of a mare sired by the dual Derby winner High Chaparral, he’s more than bred for Epsom glory. The Guineas form has already been healthily franked, and Ruling Court is taken to land go two from two on the path to the British Triple Crown from a handy draw in stall seven.
Delacroix can follow the selection home, as the choice of Ryan Moore can only bode strongly for his chances above his stablemates. He’s improved on his juvenile form in trials that have previously thrown up Derby success, but the Dubawi angle raises a slight eyebrow over him staying the trip better than Ruling Court.
Stanhope Gardens has intertwining form with the pair as a two-year-old which rates him an overpriced contender, and if he wasn’t over his minor setback in the spring then there’s no chance he would turn up here. He looked impressive as he could be at Salisbury when arguably seventy percent ready, and that will have put him spot on for a strong run at a track that looks destined to suit.
- Ruling Court
- Delacroix
- Stanhope Gardens
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