Ancient Wisdom slashed for Derby after Futurity success and will be 'even better' next year according to William Buick

Ignore the prices. Seeing that the 5-4 favourite has won might make you think this was nothing out of the ordinary. Don't you believe it.

Victory went to a horse hardly anybody thought would be in the field this time last week. His rider adopted tactics that not even connections expected, thanks to a freak incident in the stalls that caused the race to be run 15 minutes later and scored for a team that was getting out of the British Group 1 habit.

The one thing you can seemingly rely on is that the Kameko Futurity Trophy is a rich source of top-level three-year-olds. Each of the previous six winners went on to win at least one Group 1 race in his second season.

And that modern insight meant bookmakers were taking no chances with their latest successor, offering no better than 8-1 about him for the Betfred Derby.

That is Ancient Wisdom, the Godolphin colt Charlie Appleby said he would put away and wait for the Dante Stakes with after his impressive success in Group 3 company at Newmarket 14 days earlier.

A fortnight is a long time in racing and a trainer reserves the right to change his or her mind, particularly when the weather does not change and the ground remains soft enough to tempt a £17,500 supplementary entry on the Monday ahead of Britain's last Group 1 of the season.

That might have looked something of a gamble from the stands, watching on as William Buick found himself in front on the market leader, with expected pacemaker Battle Cry not in the field after going down in the stalls and being withdrawn, causing the lengthy delay.

But Buick is not champion jockey for nothing. He judged things perfectly in the testing conditions and, setting no better than a steady pace, he refused to panic once headed inside the last three furlongs and conjured a strong late run out of his mount to lead again over a furlong out and win by a length and three-quarters.

It was Godolphin's first Group 1 success in Britain since Modern Games in the Lockinge in May and first domestic juvenile Group 1 since Native Trail in the Dewhurst in 2021.

Ancient Wisdom: slashed in price for next year's DerbyCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"We couldn't be more delighted," said Appleby's assistant Alex Merriam. "We thought Aidan's other horse [Diego Velazquez] was going to go forward and when he wasn't there Will did his own thing. We know he stays and the plan was always to be handy.

"Charlie always had this race slightly in the back of his mind but he wanted to see how the horse was, and he's been pleasing him and we know he handles soft ground so we gave it a shot."

Buick, winning the race for the first time, said: "It's a very important race for next year and I was delighted with Ancient Wisdom. The plan wasn't necessarily to make the running but it fell right and he's a horse who's very uncomplicated.

"If you go through the list of two-year-olds who've won this race, it bodes well for next year. I'm very much looking forward to him. He's a beautiful horse to look at, he's done nothing but strengthen all year. Another winter on his back will do him even better.

"It's very heavy ground and horses take a lot of organising on it but when the others came to him I didn't want to go for everything too soon, I wanted to try and build him up. It's a long way up that straight for a two-year-old having to make the running but it suited him. He's done nothing but improve every start this year. Credit to Charlie and the team for having the faith to supplement."

Ffos Las winner Devil's Point kept on to take second for David Menuisier, who said: "I'm thrilled, it's a Group 1 and second is absolutely marvellous. He was travelling great on the ground. It's pretty special."

God's Window was just a head further back in third and joint-trainer Thady Gosden said: "He was a little slowly away, that was understandable for a horse second time out with all that went on before but he was closest at the end and he was finishing well.

"It was a very encouraging performance, he's a horse we hope has a bright future."

Betfred Derby (June 1)

Betfair: 9-4 City Of Troy, 6 Ancient Wisdom, Henry Longfellow, 12 Arabian Crown, 20 Diego Velazquez, Ghostwriter, Los Angeles, 25 bar

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