On the afternoon when Epsom Downs remembered its greatest jockey, Richard Kingscote produced a flawless, no-nonsense ride of which Lester Piggott himself would surely have been proud, steering Desert Crown, the 5-2 favourite, to an impressive success in the Derby which was never in doubt from the moment he hit the front, with nearly two furlongs still to run.
Up in the grandstand, there was no need for Sir Michael Stoute to roar his horse home. Instead, Desert Crown’s 76-year-old trainer simply lifted his top hat to acknowledge his sixth success in the Classic, and mark the arrival of a new champion in the yard which sent Shergar to Epsom 41 summers ago.
