Redcar 1.45 Greek Gold 2.15 Sister Lizzie 2.45 Early Release 3.15 Analogical 3.45 Leadenhall 4.15 Rapido Girl 4.45 Willolarupi (nap) 5.15 Flamborough Head (nb)
Carlisle 2.30 There’s A Chance 3.00 Holbache 3.30 Sacred Falls 4.00 Trojan Sun 4.30 Camino Del Ray 5.00 Heavenly Heather 5.30 Freak Encounter
Windsor 5.20 Nogo’s Dream 5.50 Rising Empire 6.20 Electrifarhh 6.50 Regal Envoy 7.20 Odin Legacy 7.50 Kingmaker 8.20 Crowd Quake
Wolverhampton 6.30 Leon Trotsky 7.00 Ziggy’s Triton 7.30 Flash Harry 8.00 Rinky Tinky Tinky 8.30 Natsumi 9.00 Novak
PRIDE OF ARRAS 5-1 FOR THE DERBY AFTER DANTE SUCCESS
Pride Of Arras started the day as a 50-1 chance for the Derby at Epsom next month, a once-raced maiden winner who had not seen a racecourse for 280 days up against much more familiar names in the Dante Stakes, the last of the recognised trials for the colts’ Classic at Epsom on 7 June. By mid-afternoon, though, his odds had crashed to just 5-1 after Ralph Beckett’s colt quickened sharply on the way to a one-and-quarter length defeat of Damysus, with The Lion In Winter, the hot favourite, four lengths behind the winner in sixth.
Pride Of Arras runs in the colours of Yorkshire-based owners David and Vimy Aykroyd and was up against Classic contenders from several of the turf’s powerhouse operations. He was also the most inexperienced runner in the field, but certainly did not lack for either confidence, as he eased through a small gap towards the lead, or instant acceleration when he hit the front.
“We’ve been tough on him to get him here because he’s so inexperienced,” Becket said afterwards. “But he’ll come forward for today as well, in terms of his lack of experience. It was everything we hoped for and more, and he’s worthy of his place [in the Derby].
“It’s difficult [to assess how good he is]. I’ve trained for Mrs Aykroyd all my career, and he’s a homebred. He’s not a Westover, he’s not [Arc winner] Bluestocking [from the powerful Juddmonte operation]. He does have a very good back-pedigree [by New Bay out of an Oasis Dream mare], but he doesn’t have perhaps the profile of those when it comes to pedigree.
“But he has more speed than Westover, he’s a better work horse than Westover was. It’s all in front of us, I hope. If he handles Epsom, which I think he will, and if he handles the jamboree, which based on today, I think he will, then we’ve every right to think we’re going there to be competitive. What happens after that, who knows.”
This was the fourth time that Aidan O’Brien, The Lion In Winter’s trainer, had arrived at the Knavesmire hoping to complete a clean sweep of the five major trials for the Derby at Chester, Lingfield, Leopardstown and York, and the fourth time that he had failed at the final hurdle.
“The good thing about it is that Ryan [Moore] was very happy, and that’s positive,” O’Brien said. “The horse is going to improve, and when I say that, I mean he will make a lot of improvement.
Redcar 1.45 Greek Gold 2.15 Sister Lizzie 2.45 Early Release 3.15 Analogical 3.45 Leadenhall 4.15 Rapido Girl 4.45 Willolarupi (nap) 5.15 Flamborough Head (nb)
Carlisle 2.30 There’s A Chance 3.00 Holbache 3.30 Sacred Falls 4.00 Trojan Sun 4.30 Camino Del Ray 5.00 Heavenly Heather 5.30 Freak Encounter
Windsor 5.20 Nogo’s Dream 5.50 Rising Empire 6.20 Electrifarhh 6.50 Regal Envoy 7.20 Odin Legacy 7.50 Kingmaker 8.20 Crowd Quake
Wolverhampton 6.30 Leon Trotsky 7.00 Ziggy’s Triton 7.30 Flash Harry 8.00 Rinky Tinky Tinky 8.30 Natsumi 9.00 Novak
“If he had jumped and done everything right, you may have got away with it but he did nothing right. We know he has got class and he has speed and we will decide now whether he goes to Epsom or the French Derby.”
The Lion In Winter will no doubt improve for the run, but the same is also true of both Pride Of Arras and Damysus, who was running for the third time on Thursday, and it could well be Delacroix, the winner of the Leopardstown Derby Trial four days ago, that heads to Epsom as O’Brien’s prime contender for a record-extending 11th Derby victory.
Delacroix is the new Derby favourite at 5-2, with Ruling Court, the 2,000 Guineas winner, at 4-1 and Pride of Arras a point longer at 5-1. The Lion In Winter is out to 6-1 and it is 10-1 bar the four.
Updated
