Hugo Palmer is to saddle his first Investec Derby runner when Emissary lines up in Saturday's Epsom Classic.
The Kingman colt is certainly bred for the job as a half-brother to Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce.
Like Workforce, Emissary is owned by Khalid Abdullah and while he was beaten on his return to action at Goodwood in the Cocked Hat Stakes by Andrew Balding's Khalifa Sat, who he will meet again, connections believe it is worth taking a chance with the unexposed colt.
"In this rather strange year we have to roll the dice," said Teddy Grimthorpe, Abdullah's racing manager.
"He's by Kingman but his half-brother Workforce was by King's Best, so you can look at it either way.
"There might be some stamina limitations, but he stayed nearly a mile and a half at Goodwood all right.
"I don't think he'd mind whatever the ground was, so that is one thing we don't need to worry about."
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.
