Leopardstown's Derby Trial has fallen on hard times - but could Los Angeles be the one to revive its tradition?

Certain headline races serve as measures of the passage of time for me, evoking memories stretching back a frightening number of decades. On the other hand, many other top races just come and go every year inconsequentially.

Leopardstown's Derby Trial falls into both categories in my memory bank. It once figured high on my list of significant races but these days it has slumped to the point where I needed a reminder from the record books that Sunday's race marked the 40th anniversary of its first edition in its present form.

Vincent O'Brien was instrumental in promoting the transition of the former Nijinsky Stakes into a formal Derby trial, to serve as an alternative to the established British trials for Irish trainers seeking a stepping stone to Epsom.