Derby again lives up to the expectation of history - and Epsom as a training centre has an opportunity to do the same
So the 245th Derby wasn't the damp squib some had been predicting. In fact City Of Troy, Ambiente Friendly and Los Angeles, who filled the first three places on Saturday, all emerged with their reputations significantly enhanced and will surely have a big say in the middle-distance races that matter between now and the end of the season.
In many ways the Classics are hostage to fortune. Each season they will only ever be as strong as the three-year-olds of that generation, but that is also what makes them so unique and special.
In another year Ambiente Friendly might have won the Derby almost on the bridle, but he happens to have been foaled in the same year as a horse Aidan O'Brien believes is the best he has trained. Them's the breaks.
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
Published on inLewis Porteous
Last updated
- 'I couldn't give a toss about who will win the Gold Cup' - it's time we took a leaf out of Ted Walsh's book and lived in the moment
- The traditional handicapping system is holding back jump racing - it's time for a radical overhaul
- Good luck to those who spent big at Tattersalls last week - recent history suggests you might need it
- Galileo's death has left the staying division at a critical crossroads - but there's also an opportunity to be seized
- Britain’s middle-distance crisis: how this year’s Group 1 results reveal a shocking pattern
- 'I couldn't give a toss about who will win the Gold Cup' - it's time we took a leaf out of Ted Walsh's book and lived in the moment
- The traditional handicapping system is holding back jump racing - it's time for a radical overhaul
- Good luck to those who spent big at Tattersalls last week - recent history suggests you might need it
- Galileo's death has left the staying division at a critical crossroads - but there's also an opportunity to be seized
- Britain’s middle-distance crisis: how this year’s Group 1 results reveal a shocking pattern