A classroom for late Classic crammers - Keith Melrose assesses the significance of Lingfield's Derby Trial
Derby trials tend to fall into two main categories. The first is those of a high quality, such as the Dante at York and the 2,000 Guineas. As has been pointed out before, on Derby day we fixate too much on the intricacies of the Classic. Simply picking the best horse does just as good a job. This is why the Dante and the Guineas are the best Derby trials by most measures.
The Lingfield Derby Trial, as well as the Chester Vase, lead the second category. These are the Derby classrooms, where those with a bit to learn before Epsom cram for a Group 1 test on an idiosyncratic course.
You can see this tendency in the sort of horses who win this race. Taking the last ten winners, the median number of racecourse appearances before Lingfield has been three. Notably, the few who were more experienced include some of the race's most prominent recent winners. Anthony Van Dyck, who went on to win the Derby, had run seven times. Best Solution, who won the Caulfield Cup, was on his ninth run when he won this race.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
inPreviews
- Cracking the puzzle with Richard Birch's selections for all 11 races on ITV4 on Sunday
- 4.40 Hamilton: 'He's a promising horse' - key quotes and analysis for a competitive staying handicap
- 5.10 Hamilton: 'He's in career-best form and holds the course record' - quotes and analysis for a valuable sprint handicap
- 3.05 Chantilly: 'We believe he has enormous potential' - can another star emerge in the Prix du Jockey Club?
- 3.17 Listowel: 'He's been training well' - Joseph O'Brien runs three in race named in honour of Pat Smullen
- Champions League final double odds boost: get 100-1 for Dortmund to win OR 40-1 for Real Madrid
- Epsom Derby betting offer: get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes for the big race at Epsom
- Champions League final odds boost: claim Sky Bet's exclusive 50-1 odds for 1+ shots on target during Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
- Cracking the puzzle with Richard Birch's selections for all 11 races on ITV4 on Sunday
- 4.40 Hamilton: 'He's a promising horse' - key quotes and analysis for a competitive staying handicap
- 5.10 Hamilton: 'He's in career-best form and holds the course record' - quotes and analysis for a valuable sprint handicap
- 3.05 Chantilly: 'We believe he has enormous potential' - can another star emerge in the Prix du Jockey Club?
- 3.17 Listowel: 'He's been training well' - Joseph O'Brien runs three in race named in honour of Pat Smullen
- Champions League final double odds boost: get 100-1 for Dortmund to win OR 40-1 for Real Madrid
- Epsom Derby betting offer: get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes for the big race at Epsom
- Champions League final odds boost: claim Sky Bet's exclusive 50-1 odds for 1+ shots on target during Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid