Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond answers some key questions heading into Epsom in her latest blog.
Huge weekend at Epsom let's start with the Derby - who do you think is the pick of the Aidan O'Brien team?
For those of us that become complacent about the brilliance in our midst, Ryan Moore consistently reminds us of his excellence, so whichever horse he rides is the pick! That’s looking like Leopardstown Derby Trial winner Delacroix. I do think we’ll see an improved performance from The Lion In Winter but if he’s half as keen as he was in the Dante he won’t get home.
What do you make of Ruling Court - will he stay?
That’s the million dollar question and no one can comprehensively answer that.
The proof will come when they enter the last 400 metres of the Derby, and it’s eyeballs out time. The 2000 Guineas winner doesn’t have anything to prove on the class scale, but an extra half mile is a big leap. His sire Justify has a Derby winner on his record with City Of Troy, but the pedigree suggests 10-furlongs may be Ruling Court's limit. He’ll probably hack up on Saturday now!
Best of the rest and your Derby tip please?
There are no such stamina limitations in the pedigree of Pride Of Arras and whilst he has only had the two outings to date his rise is sharp and he looked smart in the Dante. The sire New Bay isn’t an influence for stamina but there’s bundles of it on his dam’s side, so he should be powering up when others are running on fumes. He’s a 4/1 shot with Sky Bet and I think he can turn over some of his flashier rivals.
Lazy Griff is a huge price at 50/1 but for a bit of fun I’ve also backed him each-way. He could only finish second to Aidan O’Brien’s Lambourn in the Chester Vase but he’s likeable and might outrun his odds. He came into Chester undercooked as he’d missed a piece of work and providing the ground isn’t faster than good, he should acquit himself well.
Are you for or against Desert Flower in the Oaks - and if against with which filly?
Like Charlie Appleby’s 2000 Guineas winner, his 1000 Guineas winner is a strong contender for her second Classic challenge. Like her stablemate the pedigree doesn’t scream stamina. There are smatterings of it in there but it’s not laden with it. Desert Flower could well be in the red inside the final quarter mile, but she has class to spare and that may be enough.
As with the Derby I’m chucking another each-way pick into the mix. Revoir could help dissipate some Derby nerves for trainer Ralph Beckett if she goes well in Friday’s Oaks and is an 8/1 chance.
She’s from a family with an Oaks winner in it as 2008 Epsom winner Look Here is a half-sister to this filly’s grandam.
Interesting Coronation Cup to look forward to too - Will Calandagan return to winning ways?
Oh, he’s a beauty. There’s a logical reason Calandagan is 4/7 favourite with Sky Bet and he looks hard to beat on Friday.
He was a six-length winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot a year ago and then finished runner-up to City Of Troy when ridden too far back in the Juddmonte International at York, before filling that same spot behind Anmaat in the Champion Stakes at Ascot. Again, that day he didn’t get the smoothest of passages, but the winner came from even further back in fairness.
Calandagan returned in the Sheema Classic in April where he was second once again. That was a very creditable effort, and he’ll take all the beating in this. He has the class of a Group 1 winner, so I hope after this race he is one.
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