Never mind one Derby - a veteran bids for four in a row at Epsom

Anthony Van Dyck could not do the Derby double at the Curragh on Saturday but back at Epsom on Thursday evening there is a horse bidding to win his fifth Derby over the famous course and distance.

Step forward 11-year-old Tapis Libre, who lines up for his sixth Ladies' Derby with regular rider Joanna Mason - and the race is named in their honour to pay tribute to their remarkable record.

Tapis Libre is a family pet as he has been with the extended Mick Easterby family since he was a juvenile.

Tapis Libre: comes alive at Epsom

He began racing after being gelded, which seemingly deprived him of any Derby aspirations, and he made an inauspicious start to racing as a 100-1 shot at York a month after the 2011 Derby.

Easterby's granddaughter Mason has been a considerable part of Tapis Libre's success with the pair combining for ten wins together, the last three Ladies' Derbies when trained by Mason's cousin Jacqueline Coward.

The partnership has prevailed for the last three years, as well as in 2013, the pair's first appearance in the race. They also finished fourth in 2014.

Mason, 29, who has amassed over 100 winners spread across Arab races, point-to-points and under rules, said: "I only realised what Epsom had done when I went on the Racing Post website to look at the declarations and immediately screenshot it and sent it to the owners' group."

Joanna Mason: winning on Tapis Libre for sister Laura would be emotionalCredit: Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

There is so much more to the fairytale as the group of owners was set up for the rider's sister Laura Mason, who was seriously ill when suffering a ruptured appendix and septicemia.

Mason added: "The day she came round we set up the syndicate to give her something to focus on to get better and there are dozens of members and many will be at Epsom to see him run.

"Laura has recovered and although she doesn't work in racing she does ride when back home."

Notable multiple winners of the same race

Al Capone II
A legendary French chaser, Al Capone II won the Grade 1 Prix La Haye Jousselin a remarkable seven times. Successful for the first time as a five-year-old in 1993, he won the next six renewals. His bid for a eighth was foiled in 2000, as he could only manage second behind First Gold. Al Capone also won the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in 1997.

Brown Jack
Although he won the Champion Hurdle in 1928, Brown Jack's main claim to fame was winning the Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot six times from 1929 to 1934. A much-loved and talented dual-purpose performer, Brown Jack also won the Ascot Stakes, Goodwood Cup, Doncaster Cup, Chester Cup and Ebor. He has been commemorated at Ascot with a bronze statue.

Further Flight
Now staged on Champions Day as the Long Distance Cup, the Jockey Club Cup was previously held at Newmarket, where top stayer Further Flight won the race five times. The brave grey scored in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and finally as a nine-year-old in 1995. He continued to race until he was 12, finishing third in the 1997 Jockey Club Cup as an 11-year-old.

Goldikova
The outstanding racemare of her generation, Goldikova won 17 of her 27 starts, including an incredible 14 Group 1s. Four of those came in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville, a race she farmed from from 2008 to 2011. Trained by Freddy Head and ridden by Oliver Peslier, she was also a Stateside star and became the first horse to win a Breeders' Cup race three times when winning the Mile in 2010.

Mason believes her biggest danger on the track is a fellow northern challenger in Ruth Carr's Be Perfect, who won on his 100th start last time at Hamilton, as well as the Ralph Beckett-trained Blazing Saddles, who will be partnered by Serena Brotherton.

She added: "It's such a prestigious race so to win it once was amazing and four times is unbelievable – it seems stupid not to keep coming back and a fifth would be amazing.

"He's not acting his age, he ran a creditable race at York and is in very good form for his age."

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