Sadly, the Epsom gallop that took place on Tuesday morning is no longer called ‘Breakfast With The Stars (BWTS)’, which used to conjure up images of John Gosden gathering around a full English with Mick Hucknall, Chris Martin and the six (?) members of OneRepublic.
Whilst feeling slightly awkward for Richard Hoiles who had to ‘commentate’ on the different pieces of work, which were all done at various levels of intensity (zero to a little above zero) against horses of varying ability and stamina, it’s clearly a good opportunity to get some nice trainer soundbites and for horses to stretch their legs in the sunshine.
But do you actually need a horse for the Derby that has run at Epsom before?
No, is the short answer. You can probably close this article now, actually, if you want. (Editor's Note: congratulations for getting this far).
No Derby winner since Blue Riband Trial Stakes victor Blue Peter in 1939 had run at Epsom before, though that’s hardly surprising given the majority of quality two-year-old races and Classic trials are held elsewhere. It probably won’t happen again this season, either, with this year’s Blue Riband Trial winner Saxon Street ruled out after flopping at Goodwood this weekend, though the second Rebel Rocker and third Balzac are still entered.
How does the artist formerly known as BWTS fare? Masar’s trainer Charlie Appleby spoke on the phone at the 2018 renewal prior to Masar’s Derby win, but the most recent to actually dawdle around Tattenham Corner with hash browns being thrown into the air was Golden Horn, the 2015 winner trained by Gosden himself.
Gosden, who doesn't have a Derby runner this year but was at Epsom with his Oaks contender Legacy Link, said: "I came with three horses in 1977 from Ballydoyle - The Minstrel, Valinsky and Be My Guest - all running in The Derby. So I thought if Vincent O’Brien does it… it’s a hard thing to rehearse anywhere else, Tattenham Corner. Left-handed and downhill, it’s not the normal way you work horses."
Which all adds to the excitement really, the ‘will-he-won't-he' aspect of a race that needs more jeopardy than the ‘which Ballydoyle horse will win this year?’ question that we’ve become a little too au-fait with this century.
So.... which Ballydoyle horse will win this year?
Mr Ord (Rishi Persad really) instigated the recent plunge on the runaway Dee Stakes winner Constitution River. His participation at Epsom could be back on having looked more likely at one stage to run at Chantilly, one of the French venues that his strong-staying dam Wonderful Tonight didn’t run at (Saint-Cloud, Deauville and Longchamp was where she recorded victories).
By the close of play on Sunday, the Derby ante-post market had swung back the way of stablemate Benvenuto Cellini, another impressive Ballydoyle winner (under a penalty) on the Roodee at the start of this month.
The scintillating Dante winner Item splits the pair on Oddschecker but in real life there’s nothing between him and Constitution River in the ante-post markets as he bids to become the 12th horse – and fifth this century – to complete the Dante/Derby double.
Could there be a clue when the jockey bookings (or whispers of) come out?
Nah, not really.
Moore ‘chose’ wrongly in the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas, while of the six Ballydoyle Derby winners since Joseph hung up his saddle in 2016, he has only ridden two - Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy – both of whom had flopped as favourite in the 2,000 Guineas on their preceding start.
There’s no similar candidate this year, though Pierre Bonnard shares some ‘recovery mission’ vibes.
It would be a brave man to suggest that Moore might plump for last year's Criterium De Saint-Cloud winner, but it would be no great surprise to see a market move for him over the next week given he was always hyped up as the Derby horse for the yard.
History also tells us that we should not forget whoever else shows up from Ballydoyle, the likes of Action, Hawk Mountain, Christmas Day, Endorsement, Causeway, Proposition and Amadeus Mozart all perfectly capable of becoming this year’s Serpentine or Wings Of Eagles, all bred in the purple, many bred with this race in mind.
While the likes of Powerful Glory, Cicero’s Gift and Qirat have all recently shown us that rank outsiders can win Group 1s, there remains little doubt that Roy of the Rovers-esque stories simply don’t tend to happen in the Derby.
Even the fourth or fifth string of operations like Ballydoyle will have bloodlines completely out of reach for smaller owners, for those who have a leg, or barely a hoof, in the horses that we see racing day to day.
What has changed a little, perhaps, is that you don’t necessarily have to be sired by an English or Irish Derby winner to follow in their footsteps.
Galileo won the race himself in 2001 and sired New Approach (2008), Ruler of the World (2013), Australia (2014), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), and Serpentine (2020), while Montjeu swerved Epsom but won at the Curragh before he sired Motivator (2005), Authorized (2007), Pour Moi (2011), and Camelot (2012) to win the Derby.
But, prior to Australia’s son Lambourn winning 12 months ago, the previous four winners were Adayar (Frankel), Desert Crown (Nathaniel), Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact) and City Of Troy (Justify), all of whom had less Epsom-centric pedigrees on paper than you might expect.
It’s interesting to note that the first three in the market for this year’s race are all by ‘non-Epsom’ sires (two Frankels and a Wootton Bassett), for all that Frankel – a snip at £350,000 a pop* - may turn out to be the most successful of Epsom sires, if you can have such a thing.
“Juddmonte buy and breed these horses to compete at the top table in the best races, and the Epsom Derby is still one of the best races in the world," said racing manager Barry Mahon following Item’s win at York.
It is, Barry, it certainly is.
But for me, there’s as much beauty in the winner of the seller at Leicester on a Tuesday as there is in whichever future stallion wins the 247th running of the Betfred Derby next weekend.
My problem is that I can’t find either with enough regularity.
*Assuming he wins the Derby.
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