It has been more than 20 years since as many as 19 horses contested the Derby at Epsom, but Saturday’s renewal of a race that dates to 1780 is no exercise in mere quantity. The Derby, contested over 1 1/2 miles around twists and turns, rises and dips, has attracted an unusual number of promising colts.
Not unusual: Aidan O’Brien stands a strong chance of training the winner. O’Brien has won the Derby a record 10 times and seeks his third straight.
Jockey Ryan Moore, top stable rider for Coolmore, which supplies O’Brien with his endless stream of talent, only has ridden three of those. In O’Brien Derby wins six, seven, and eight, Moore piloted a different O’Brien-trained horse. But he rode Auguste Rodin to victory in 2023 and City of Troy last year, and in Delacroix, Moore looks like he’s on the right one again.
Delacroix, by Dubawi out of the late American star Tepin, has four wins and three seconds from seven starts. Despite all that racing, Delacroix keeps getting better and better. You can see in his last two starts at 2 that Delacroix still was learning to apply himself. He narrowly captured the Autumn Stakes last October at Newmarket, trapped down on the fence as another good horse, Derby runner Stanhope Gardens, came alongside and pressed hard. Stanhope Gardens’s jockey made ample use of his crop. Moore never touched his, teaching his mount to compete on his own courage.
Lessons learned. Granted, Delacroix beat lesser competition winning twice in Ireland this year, but he went about his business with confidence and dominance. Delacroix has plenty of pace and often has led, but O’Brien had another horse tow him along in his last start, and Chester Vase winner Lambourn figures to play that role Saturday.
Weather’s the concern. After a historically dry spring, it’s been a rainy week at Epsom. The clerk of the course expects ground on the soft side of good Saturday. Free-striding Delacroix probably wouldn’t want it any softer.
Colin Keane, an excellent jockey in his own right, replaces Moore on The Lion in Winter, in his own right a Derby contender. Last August, The Lion in Winter thumped Ruling Court by more than two lengths in the Acomb Stakes. Ruling Court won the 2000 Guineas last month and in antepost betting stands a solid second choice.
Ruling Court held off Field of Gold to win the one-mile Guineas and was flattered when Field of Gold cruised home in the Irish 2000. The Lion in Winter, meanwhile, finished sixth in the Dante Stakes, his only start this year, but the colt raced too keenly in the middle stages and, frankly, looked too heavy. O’Brien forecasts considerable improvement.
Three others exit the Dante, and the winner, Pride of Arras looks best. Trained by Ralph Beckett and 2 for 2 to start his career, Pride of Arras was blocked three-sixteenths of a mile out in the 1 5/16-mile Dante but roared home once he found room. Second-place Damysus and fifth-place Nightwalker, both trained by John and Thady Gosden, also move on to the Derby, and don’t be surprised if Nightwalker turns the tables.
The French colt Midak, with three wins from three starts, was supplemented to the Derby. The colt, talented but still green, is an Aga Khan homebred and this Derby is named in honor of the Aga Khan, who died in February.
O’Brien and Moore already are honored as all-time greats. Delacroix can give them another Derby.