Desert Crown can give the Derby back to the punters

The day of the week on which the Derby took place varied in some of the early runnings and during wartime – but for the best part of a century, it was held on the first Wednesday in June.

here are many who regret the 1995 move to the Saturday as it now competes with other sporting events but back in 1954, it was still in its old midweek slot.

As such, the Irish Independent carried a report on the race in the Thursday, June 3 edition that year from the late, great, racing correspondent Michael O’Hehir.

The famous GAA and racing commentator describes the winning rider, Lester Piggott, as the “jockey of the moment”, and the 18-year-old was by then making a big name for himself having had his first winner aged 12.

They reckon his mount Never Say Die, which was an apparent no-hoper, would have been even higher than the 33/1 available had Piggott not been booked to ride.

Piggott became not just the jockey of the moment, the year, or even the decade; he became the jockey of the century. The word legend is bandied about far too much these days but it definitely applies to Piggott, and with his recent death the sport has lost one of the true greats.

The first of nine Derby wins for Piggott, Never Say Die was a very big price all those years ago – but so too have some recent winners of the Classic, with the latest five going off at 16/1, 25/1, 13/2, 16/1 and 40/1.

Looking at those figures, I’m tempted to back an outsider in this year’s renewal (4.30 Epsom) but I just can’t get away from the jolly Desert Crown for Michael Stoute, a trainer who won the Derby five times, his first with Shergar in 1981.

Expected to go off around 13/8 under Richard Kingscote, the son of Nathanial does not set the world alight in his work at home but he does his talking where it matters: on the racecourse.

His November debut at Nottingham marked him out as a potential star, powering clear to win with loads in hand, and he followed up in a smart Dante field to beat Royal Patronage by over three lengths.

The bookmakers have had an easy time in the Derby in recent years, but Desert Crown is the one which can hand the race back to the punters.

I’m going to restrict my betting to Epsom today, and Tees Spirit is a nice each-way price at 12/1 in the early markets for the Simpex Express ‘Dash’ Heritage Handicap (3.45).

Rated 83, Adrian Nicholls’ charge is second from the bottom in the weights here at 8st 7lbs, which is a 6lb rise for a handicap win at Nottingham last time out. But he’s in great form and that success came on the back of a victory at Beverly in April, for which he was raised a similar amount. This looks wide open and he’s got a great chance of completing the treble at decent odds.

Getting back to the shorter end of the market, Modern News looks nailed-on for the six-runner Group Three Cazoo Diomed Stakes (3.10) at 6/5. Charlie Appleby’s gelding has six wins from ten races to his credit, mostly at handicap level, but he won a Listed race handy enough last time and should have what it takes to take another step up in grade today.

In the opening Cazoo Handicap (2.0), the Richard Spencer-trained Mr Big Stuff is tipped at 5/1 with jockey Tyler Heard claiming a useful 5lbs.

Now rated 82, the colt is yet to win a race in five attempts but he went close in a handicap at Nottingham off 78. His latest run when fifth off 81 at Newbury recently is overlooked as he met trouble in-running, and the good-to-firm ground was perhaps a little fast. With a bit of luck, he can finally get off the mark today.

The JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.50) brings the curtain down on the card and Commanche Falls can send his backers home smiling around 15/2. He won half of his eight races last term, and put in a good effort on his seasonal debut when runner-up off today’s rating of 103.