A shambolic day for Animal Rising - and one that might well impact on its precarious finances

Reputations are often forged or shattered in the heat of each year’s Derby due to the unique pressures presented by the occasion at Epsom.

This year, Auguste Rodin came away with a more formidable one than ever before following a scintillating success in the Classic. In contrast, Animal Rising, the protest group on a mission to end the existence of the thoroughbred, unceremoniously foundered on the rocks of combat.

Epsom’s owner, the Jockey Club, alongside Surrey and Sussex Police, did everything within their power to make life as difficult as possible for the protesters, as Lee Mottershead pointed out in this space on Monday. The sheer volume of security personnel was particularly striking, a very visible deterrent to anyone seeking to disrupt the action and, equally, a significant reassuring presence to those who wanted to see one of the world’s great sporting events take place.