Enduring lure of the Derby reaffirmed as Roaring Lion enters Epsom picture

The Investec Derby’s status as the defining race for thoroughbreds is occasionally put to the test. This has been one of those years but the Epsom Classic reasserted itself with the news that Roaring Lion will, after all, take his chance on Saturday week.

You might have thought it was a no-brainer after the way Roaring Lion ran away with the Dante Stakes. The step up to ten and a half furlongs saw him accelerate in a manner that proved beyond him over a mile. Yes, his stamina has to be taken on trust, but how could a colt with his credentials not be asked to answer that question in the greatest race of them all?

In reality, it is not quite that simple. As his trainer John Gosden said after York: “Maybe it would be great if they [Roaring Lion and Saxon Warrior] met at Epsom,” he said. “Maybe it would be smart if they didn’t.”