Here we are in Derby week at Epsom again. Once upon a time, the race was on a Wednesday. A day of the week all to itself (I mitched school to watch Shergar!). Once upon a time, it was the great week of anticipation and fascination for fans of flat racing. And it had a bearing on the next generation of thoroughbreds. But things have changed in the 21st century.
“The thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended, not on experts, technicians or zoologists, but on a piece of wood: the winning post of the Epsom Derby.” Mr Federico Tesio once stated.
We breed the best to the best and hope for the best. It was a regular path, the Derby winner breeds a Derby winner, in recent decades, Galileo ruled that roost with five winners – New Approach (2008), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020).
And searching our archives, I found a photo of five Derby winners, Pour Moi, Ruler Of The World, Galileo, Australia and Camelot standing at Coolmore Stud in 2016.
The Derby was also a race that many jockeys could only dream of winning. A social media post this week, looking back at Derby history, recalled this:
"I felt myself beginning to be overcome by the knowledge of what had just happened. In order to return to the unsaddling enclosure before the tears of joy ran down my face, I did my best to think of anything other than the fact that my ultimate dream had just come true.
It is difficult to put into words the elation I felt at the time - it was, of course, simply the pinnacle of my career"
Jockey Edward Hide after winning the 1973 Derby on Morston. From John Sandys@The_Derbywalk
Even Derby defeats made headlines, and were the topics of debate for months, even years. El Gran Senor, Dancing Brave were the big stories.
Names to remember
Derby winners had names to remember. Coolmore/Ballydoyle runners tend to carry names with a sense of gravitas, going back to Nijinsky.
This year we have Benvenuto Cellini who was an Italian Mannerist sculptor, goldsmith, and writer renowned for technical mastery and a turbulent life.
Pierre Bonnard was a celebrated French post-Impressionist painter, illustrator, and printmaker.
(They did have a Where, Why, Who, Was, spell that did bring an Oaks success though!)
The chief opposition comes from the late Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation who have won it three times, 1990 Quest For Fame, 1993 Commander In Chief, and Workforce in 2010.
They missed out with their best horse in Dancing Brave, narrowly beaten in 1986 and their outstanding horse of a lifetime, Frankel, did not run in it.
One problem
I have one major problem with this year’s challenger, the son of Frankel named…. Item. These Derby winners, if they shape the breeding, should have a name to reflect their status. Hyperion, Sea-Bird, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Shergar, Galileo, Sea The Stars, Camelot…
Unfortunately, when I read our recent headline of the Dante Stakes win, "Unexpected Item in the Derby picture” it was that frequent automatic supermarket check-out refrain that I heard coming to mind!
But in defence, I did find some less than exciting names on the Derby roll of honour.
Diomed in the first running of the race in 1780, Assassin in 1782 and Noble in 1786 might have been good beginnings for the great race but we had just a horse called Sam in 1818.
Sam was named after his regular jockey Sam Chifney, Jr, one of the outstanding jockeys of his era.
But even less inspiring was a horse by the name of Pan in 1808. Winner of the Derby, that was his one and only appearance of the year.
Wikipedia tells us that in a career that lasted from June 1808 to July 1814, he had six different owners, ran 20 times and won nine races.
He ended his career by finishing last of the five runners behind Sir Charles Bunbury's Rival in a three-mile Subscription Plate and Pan began his stud career at the age of 10 in 1815.
But the fact that we can trace him centuries later, gives an indication of the history of the race.
Remember Ryan Moore being asked how it felt to win his first Oaks? “It’s not the Derby, is it?”, was the answer. The Derby is still a most desired race.
Let’s hope this year’s winner puts up a performance to put his name in lights, place his name along with those greats of the sport and keep the excitement for the season ahead.
