WATCH ME CRACK IT!

A FLAT jockey can’t wish for anything more than a live chance in the Investec Derby and, buoyed by my fourth win in yesterday’s Oaks on Enable, that’s what I’ve got this afternoon with Cracksman.

Enable’s win could kick start a massive three days for me. After Cracksman this afternoon, who, like Enable, is trained by John Gosden, I’m in France tomorrow to ride Rivet, a colt part-owned by Lester Piggott, in the French Derby.

Enable’s win isn’t going to make Cracksman run any faster but my confidence has been given a boost. It’s one of the most open Derbys many can remember and

there will probably be 10 or 11 jockeys in the weighing Room who believe that they can win.

I’ve won the race twice before — on Authorized in 2007 and Golden horn two years ago. I’d love to win it three times and match the achievement of the late jockey Pat eddery, one of my greatest heroes.

Cracksman carries the same black and white colours of owner Sir Anthony Oppenheimer that were sported by Golden horn.

I’m not going to lie. As a team we are not arriving at Derby Day with the same confident vibe. Golden horn was already a champion when he ran. he had won the Dante Stakes by nearly three lengths and beaten Group One winners. we knew he was top drawer.

But in a line-up where most of the field have a capacity to step up significantly on their previous performances, you can say that about Cracksman probably more than any other horse.

he’s quite relaxed for a son of super horse Frankel and has won both his races and the last one, the Investec Derby Trial at epsom in April run over two furlongs short of today’s distance, looks good form now.

we encountered some trouble in running but just managed to peg back Permian, who subsequently won York’s Dante Stakes, a race traditionally regarded as a strong trial. I feel Cracksman finished so strongly that he would have beaten Permian more easily with two extra furlongs to run and I reckon most objective observers felt the same.

There is no stand-out horse in the race. But I’ve seen some Derbys where there have been horses high in the betting who have had dubious credentials on the stamina front.

while Saeed Bin Suroor’s Dante Stakes runner- up Benbatl might find a mile-anda-half a bit far for him, every other runner in this afternoon’s field should stay the unique undulating, stamina- sapping course which snakes around epsom Downs.

If you press me as to what are the biggest dangers to Cracksman, I was relatively impressed with Aidan O’Brien’s Venice Beach when he won the Ches- ter Vase, while eminent, who was sixth in the 2,000 Guineas over a mile, is another player.

Someone asked me the other day if Derby day was my favourite of the year. not really. It’s exciting but at the same time it is nerve- racking and stressful.

It is a one-off, not like Royal Ascot where they race for five days and if you miss one chance you should have another one coming up pretty quickly.

On Derby Day you have one chance. I’m going to try my best to take it.