The betting for the Derby at Epsom on 1 June lost another significant player on Friday when Arabian Crown, the Godolphin operation’s leading candidate for the Classic, was ruled out after suffering a setback at Charlie Appleby’s Newmarket stable. His absence leaves Ancient Wisdom, the runner-up in the Dante Stakes here on Thursday, as the only likely Derby runner for Appleby’s stable as he seeks a third win in the Epsom Classic since 2018.
Arabian Crown, who won three of his four races last season including the 10-furlong Zetland Stakes at Newmarket in October, was one of the first three-year-old colts to establish himself as a serious Derby contender when he took the Classic Trial at Sandown on 26 April by three-and-a-quarter lengths.
