Moore eyes historic win at Kentucky

JOCKEY Ryan Moore believes Mendelssohn will be as well-equipped as any of his 19 rivals to cope with tonight’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

The Aidan O’Brientrained colt will make history if he can land the £1.5million prize in America’s biggest race shortly before midnight in front of a crowd of around 160,000.

No European-trained runner has won the Kentucky Derby but Mendelssohn is the 3-1 favourite with British bookies and second favourite to Santa Anita Derby winner Justify in America.

Mendelssohn, a son of USA sire Scat Daddy who cost $3m (£2.2m) as a yearling, has a pedigree made for racing on Dirt.

Mendelssohn also has experience of racing in the US, having won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in California in November, while and on his first race on Dirt the colt won last month’s UAE Derby by over 18 lengths in record time. Moore said: ‘ He is an Americanhorse who has plenty of experience. It is a very different test but his best performance was his first run on the Dirt.

‘Coming from Ireland probably makes it a bit tougher but he is bred to run in a Kentucky Derby. He goes there in good shape and with good form in the book.

‘It absolutely will be different ( from anything he has experienced) but none of the other horses in the race have run in a 20-runner race before. So yes, it’s a question mark but it is for the others as well.’

The best performance by a European in the race known as the ‘Run For the Roses’ came from Clive Brittain’s Bold Arrangement who was second to Ferdinand in 1986. TV: LIVE on At The Races at 11.50pm.