SPARE a thought for Ralph Beckett when watching the Betfred Derby draw ceremony unfold on Wednesday morning.

After managing to prepare two genuine classic hopes in Pride Of Arras and Stanhope Gardens, the dual Oaks-winning trainer was dealt quite the hand with the starting positions of his Derby runners.

The maximum field size for Epsom’s iconic race is 20 runners, and only four of the 20 stalls have failed to deliver a Derby winner since starting gates were introduced for the 1967 renewal.

Somehow, Beckett managed to be given stall 2 for Stanhope Gardens and 16 for Pride Of Arras - both draws that have never had a Derby winner start from in history. Still, on form at least, he has surely never had a better chance of winning his first Epsom Derby.

“I can’t worry about the draw because I can’t change it,” said Beckett, speaking at a press event organised by The Jockey Club this week.

“We have been here before with stall two. Whatever way you view the race, Westover [third to Desert Crown in 2022] didn’t get the clearest shot at it from that position, so my heart sank when we drew that!

“With stall 16, I wasn’t aware that there have been no winners from there but I think The Great Gatsby ran very well from there a few years back [runner-up to Kris Kin in 2003]. So, 16 concerns me less than two.”

Ryan’s belief

One of the jockeys charged with doing something that has never been done from those so-far luckless stalls is Rossa Ryan, who takes the mount on Dante scorer Pride Of Arras on only his second Derby ride (finished down the field on Macduff last year).

The Co Galway native pulled off an upset of sorts when Pride Of Arras was 18/1 on his first start outside maiden company last time, but there would be no such surprise factor this time around in the £1.5 million feature. “He’s got a lot of class, having won a Dante on only his second run,” said Ryan.

“I personally don’t know what a Derby horse is because I haven’t ridden a Derby winner, but I’ve ridden an Arc winner and he’s got similar sights to Bluestocking. Maybe a bit more flashy, but he’s got a good mind and a lot of speed that he probably doesn’t show you unless you go for him.

“A lot of people said Damysus came from further back than him in the Dante but I was still the last one to go for my horse, and still had to get out. I thought Damysus and Nightwalker were more or less right upsides me before I even got out and rolling... Not only did I have to quicken with them, I had to quicken by them. I put the race to bed easy and didn’t have fools behind him.”

Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, he added: “You can’t fault him. He was the one horse at York who could have blown over; he hadn’t run in a very long time and it was only his second run. He was going to be the greenest of them all.

“He’s done everything asked of him. He only shows enough at home and I’m definitely finding out more and more at the races with him. It’s very exciting.

“There are obviously other horses with a lot more to show, like Stanhope Gardens, Ruling Court and Delacroix, but I think we just have the exciting prodigy in the race. I think the extra distance will bring out more in him.”