ANDRE Fabre has a set routine for his runners in the Investec Derby. He runs them first in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe at the left-handed Saint-Cloud and gives them a reconnaissance trip to Epsom to see how they cope with the undulations of the unique track.

In 2011, Coolmore’s Pour Moi went through the preparation and he landed the classic in the hands of Mickael Barzalona, who will be on board Godolphin’s Cloth Of Stars in the Derby this afternoon.

The colt was twice beaten by Robin Of Navan as a two-year-old, but took his revenge in no uncertain style in the Greffulhe. Harry Dunlop did state that Robin Of Navan had not had the best of preparations for the race, but Cloth Of Stars won easily by two and a half lengths.

Cloth Of Stars has yet to tackle more than 10 furlongs but he is by an Epsom Derby winner (Sea The Stars) and there is stamina further back in his pedigree as his great-grandam is Northern Trick. She won the Prix Vermeille and was second in the Arc de Triomphe having earlier won the Prix de Diane, all in 1984. Good ground will certainly be an advantage for Cloth Of Stars who looks good each-way value at 6/1. His lead horse at Epsom last week, Foresee, was the easy winner of a maiden at Maisons-Laffitte on Monday.