Crown reigns amid the Jubilee
MEMORIES of 1981 came flooding back as Desert Crown stormed to success in the Cazoo Derby, to provide Sir Michael Stoute with his sixth victory in the Classic on Jubilee weekend.
It was that year that Stoute first struck gold at Epsom with the incomparable Shergar, but the 2022 model, a lightly-raced son of Nathaniel, did his best impression of the great horse as Richard Kingscote produced a textbook effort in the saddle for a first British Classic win on just his second Derby ride.
Desert Crown was posted wide in mid-division in the early stages as Kingscote strived to settle the 5-2 favourite in the ideal position, but his class soon saw him tracking the Ballydoyle trio of Changingoftheguard, Star Of India and Stone Age, as well as the Simon and Ed Crisfordtrained West Wind Blows, who had joined the O’Brien runners in front.
The race was put to bed shortly into the home straight, with jockey Kingscote electing not to wait any longer with the smooth travelling colt approaching the two-furlong pole, allowing his mount to stride to the front and lap up the adulation of the sell-out crowd.
He only needed to be ridden out to record a two-and-a-half-length win from 150-1 outsider Hoo Ya Mal.
Ralph Beckett’s Westover could perhaps count himself unlucky in third having been held behind the fading early pacesetters, but the day belonged to Stoute and Kingscote, with the Barbadian picking up his first Derby since Workforce in 2010.
Kingscote was full of praise for Desert Crown, who was having just his third racecourse outing.
He said: “He was very good today, very smooth and for a horse that has only run twice, very professional. He took all the prelims beautifully and I was really pleased with.
“Every time I have sat on him he’s been very calm and today was no exception. I couldn’t fault him, he went to the start and then fireworks went off and he was a lovely ride.
“He jumped really well, he does have a hood in the stalls, but he was out really well. Sir Michael was keen for me to try to take a reasonable pitch. I was hung out a little wide once we crossed over, took a little time and it wasn’t until the seven (furlong marker) I was able to slide one off the fence and from there he was very comfortable. He came down the hill really well balanced and changed leads over the road and off he went to top gear.
“The (future) is up to Sir Michael, he knows better than me.”