This is why the Derby big guns failed to fire at Epsom - and there is one beaten horse who could be top class

I'm not one for the dark arts of paddock watching and ITV Racing isn't really my bag either, but I've slightly changed my thinking on both counts after watching the lead-up to the Derby at the weekend. 

The Derby is my favourite race, so there was no way I was missing the build-up to watch some nondescript race at Worcester or Navan. Consequently, I avidly watched for an hour before the Derby and the one thing that struck me was just how relaxed and calm four of the first five home were in the preliminaries.

Lambourn, Tennessee Stud and Stanhope Gardens all walked around the paddock without a care in the world. No red hood, no shenanigans and they all went down to the start without turning a hair.