Sir Michael Stoute saddles ruling favourite Desert Crown in the Cazoo Derby (17h30) at Epsom on Saturday afternoon.
In a race which boasts its biggest field since 2017, sixteen rivals challenge the son of Nathaniel for the first prize of £909,628. The blue-riband event is run in memory of Lester Piggott.
Desert Crown – a deserved favourite
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper updated the track conditions on Friday morning as good, good to soft in places.
He added: “The forecasts do keep changing, especially as far as Saturday is concerned. We were told we’d miss the showers but there’s now an increasing chance of showers tomorrow morning and again later in the day.”
Desert Crown will break from stall 12 and will look to overcome inexperience to give his trainer a sixth win in the race. Inexperience in the saddle in the form of rider Richard Kingscote is also a concern.
Kingscote stated that he has only ridden in the famous race on one previous occasion when finishing down field. A competent and polished jockey no doubt, but riding the Derby favourite with all the distractions and the huge crowd will test his mettle.
The unbeaten colt must have been showing good work at home in the spring as he was supported in the ante-post market and then showed a potent turn of foot at York to land the Gr2 Dante last month by over three lengths despite showing greenness in the finish. That win catapulted him to favourite at around 7/4.
Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O’Brien is set to saddle three and could extend his record to nine Derby successes if Stone Age, Changingoftheguard or Star of India are victorious.
Stone Age – looks top class
All three colts are by the great Galileo and should see out the 12 furlongs.
Stone Age, the “Derrinstown” winner over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown in May is re-united with Ryan Moore. He was a dominant five-and-a-half-lengths victor leading from the jump that day. His stablemates are drawn out wide and could give him a good lead into the straight. He is rated only 2lbs inferior to the favourite on official ratings.
O’Brien is also represented by Chester winners Star Of India and Changingoftheguard, who have drawn favourably in stalls 15 and 16 respectively. Both these colts were forward in winning their respective ‘Classic Trials’ and will be ridden by stable jockey’s Heffernan and Lordan. They are both no back numbers and hold each way chances.
Charlie Appleby has carried all before him in the colts’ Classics this season, and he saddles three runners for Godolphin.
Nations Pride, the mount of William Buick, was a late entry, supplemented at a cost of £75,000. He is joined by stable companion’s Walk Of Stars and Nahanni.
Buick’s ride, a son of Teofilo, looks to extend a four-race winning streak and was impressive at Newmarket last time out over 1 mile and 2 furlongs in a listed race winning easily by seven lengths.
Appleby also has Walk Of Stars (James Doyle), who was last seen finishing second in the Lingfield Derby Trial and Nahanni who was successful in the Blue Riband Trial over 10 furlongs at the course in mid-April. For those superstitious punters, his jockey Adam Kirby won the race last year on Adayar when wearing the third string ‘red’ cap and does so again on Saturday. From draw six he is worth including in all calculations.
The Ballysax winner, Piz Badile is another Irish raider worth a second look. Trained by Donnacha O’Brien, he is the mount of two-time Derby winner Frankie Dettori and has won on good and soft ground.
In an open race with not much collateral form, Shamrock selects Stone Age to win for Galileo, Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. Desert Crown, Star of India and Nahanni could follow him home.
