Wanted: superstar colt from the Dante to set Derby pulses racing

We are down to the final act, and what an act it promises to be. The Betfred Dante Stakes features a raft of lightly raced colts in the last of the Derby trials. Many hail from powerful stables and all are intent on delivering the performance for which we have waited in vain ever since Churchill made off with the 2,000 Guineas.

Churchill has cast a huge shadow over the Derby preamble this year. It was always a tall order for any trial winner to match the wunderkind’s Newmarket triumph. He has set a daunting standard against which even his Ballydoyle brethren by Galileo have come up short.

Truth be told, we were in much the same boat this time last year – except that there was no Churchill lurking in the background. US Army Ranger’s Chester Vase victory did not square with his tall home reputation, the Dante was again the final trial, and probably because of that, Wings Of Desire was accorded too much respect after he won at York by a neck from Deauville. On reflection, it made no sense for Wings Of Desire to vault to Derby favouritism on the back of such a narrow victory.