The Derby needs a saviour - so is this 'stronger, quicker' superstar the one?

It goes against the grain of tradition and national pride to say it, but the Derby is suffering a crisis of confidence.

As the days of Nijinsky and Mill Reef, Shergar and Nashwan, recede rapidly in the wing mirrors of history, it's hard to argue with the data that says its recent winners are far more likely to end up as also-rans than world-beaters.

The recent gelding of 2020 victor Serpentine – the first winner of the race to suffer the 'unkindest cut' in more than 100 years, perhaps ever – was simply another twist of the knife, confirming the unfortunate truth that the once-hallowed "piece of wood, the winning post of the Epsom Derby" is no longer, as Federico Tesio declared, the defining factor in the existence of the thoroughbred; these days, if we're feeling harsh, it's bordering on being just a piece of wood.