I may have perfect colt to crack Derby
So far, so good. That’s how I would assess the situation with my Investec Derby mount Cracksman after he worked around the Tattenham Corner at Epsom yesterday.
Trainer John Gosden carried out the same exercise with my 2015 Derby winner Golden Horn.
Not for one minute am I comparing Cracksman with Golden Horn, who we knew was a potential champion after he had won York’s Dante Stakes by almost three lengths.
With twice-raced Cracksman, it is still very much about potential. But he has bags of that.
Yesterday was the first time I had sat on him since he won the Investec Epsom Derby Trial on April 26. We brought him back to the track because the soft ground meant John decided to miss last week’s Dante.
Like Golden Horn, Cracksman, accompanied by Rab Havlinridden stablemate Pealer, worked over a mile around Epsom’s unique gradients and I was very happy. Don’t be too concerned that I passed the winning post at a snail’s pace. I was already pulling up with a furlong to go.
The trip to Epsom’s annual preDerby Breakfast with the Stars was more about getting Cracksman out of the house and giving him something different to do than a serious test. While missing the Dante wasn’t ideal, the positive was that the race was won by Mark Johnston’s Permian, who Cracksman narrowly beat in the Epsom trial.
Permian has been a model of consistency and won at Newmarket in between the two races. His win at York is a big boost to Cracksman’s c.v. I struggle to see how any of the colts who finished behind Permian at York will be a major player in the Derby.
I’m looking at a bigger danger emerging from the Aidan o’Brien Chester trial winners — Cliffs of Moher and Venice Beach — or his Derrinstown Stud Trial 1-2-3, headed by Douglas Macarthur.
While some will say Cracksman only just beat Permian, my mount encountered some trouble in running and, from what I felt, will be a better performer over the extra two furlongs of the mile-and-ahalf Classic on Saturday week.
So I reckon, in a very open race, I’m on a live Derby contender.
Cracksman will stay the distance and he handles the track. A week Saturday, we will find if he is the best colt of his generation.
Frankie Dettori is an ambassador of the Investec Derby Festival, June 2-3 sponsorship. investec.com/derby