Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning: Reaction from Epsom including Emily Upjohn, Walk Of Stars & West Wind Blows

Nations Pride run rests on pivotal gallop

Following an unprecedented clean sweep of the English, French and Irish equivalents of the 2000 Guineas in recent weeks, Charlie Appleby will now be hoping the momentum behind that Classic domination can be sustained until the Cazoo Derby at Epsom, a race the trainer will be trying to win for the third time in five years following the victories of Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021).

Appleby has two confirmed runners for the 2022 edition of the blue riband in the shape of Nahanni and Walk Of Stars, both of whom stretched their legs up the unique Epsom straight on Monday, while a more strenuous piece of exercise at Moulton Paddocks in midweek will determine whether Nations Pride joins them in the line-up at a cost of £75,000.

It goes without saying that plans could change after that gallop, but Appleby left no doubt that it would be his preference to let Nations Pride take his chance at Epsom rather than waiting for the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly the following afternoon.

It’s easy to see why given that Nations Pride would appear to have much stronger form credentials than both Nahanni and Walk Of Stars as things stand.

In fact, with a Timeform rating of 117p, Nations Pride has achieved more than all bar Desert Crown (121p) and Stone Age (118p) among the contenders for this year’s Derby, whereas Nahanni and Walk Of Stars (both rated 108p) look destined for minor roles unless one of them can take a big step forward on the day that matters most.

We’ve been here before, of course. Just last year Hurricane Lane carried the first colours of Godolphin with William Buick doing the steering, but in the race itself that pair had to settle for minor honours behind stablemate Adayar, who suddenly produced a big career best to go one place better than when filling the runner-up spot in the Lingfield Derby Trial on his previous start.

Could we see a similar situation unfold in 2022?

Appleby isn’t ruling it out such is his unequivocal belief in Walk Of Stars, who emulated Adayar by finding one too good at Lingfield last time, shaping like the best horse on the day but throwing away victory by hanging right in the straight.

Whilst his trainer concedes that Nations Pride would appear to be the stable’s best chance provided the son of Teofilo comes through his Wednesday workout unscathed, the message is clear that we haven’t seen the best of Walk Of Stars just yet, a horse blessed with "all the ability in the world" but not the know-how to put it to best use.

Throw into the mix Nahanni – winner of the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom and a horse who has “turned himself inside out” in the past four weeks according to Appleby – and the Godolphin team looks a strong one once again as they seek a fourth Classic success in the space of five weeks.

West Wind Blows another big runner for Teofilo

Nations Pride won’t be the only son of Teofilo in the line-up for the Derby if getting the thumps up to take his chance at Epsom.

West Wind Blows is available at 40/1 in the Sky Bet’s ante-post betting for the blue riband, odds which could prove generous judged on the way Simon Crisford spoke about the colt he trains in partnership with son Ed.

Unbeaten in two starts, West Wind Blows was well on top at the finish when defying a penalty in a novice event at Nottingham last time, setting a strong gallop and maintaining it all the way to the line to win by five lengths in impressive fashion (replay below).

It was that performance which confirmed in Crisford’s mind that he might have a Derby colt on his hands, something he had hoped to find out sooner before a mishap on his intended return to action at Newbury forced a change of plan.

“The intention had been to run him at Newbury and come back in the Lingfield Derby Trial,” Crisford explained.

"Obviously, he got loose at the start at Newbury and we couldn’t run him, so we had to come up with a different plan.

“The plan then was to go in a novice with his penalty and he won that with quite some authority. He had to do that to go to the next stage. We’ve always felt he had the potential to move in that direction and he’s got the pedigree to be a champion – he's by Teofilo out of a French Oaks winner."

Teofilo is yet to sire a winner of the Derby at Epsom – Arod fared the best of his four sons to have tried when fourth behind Australia in 2014 – but Irish Derby winner Trading Leather features among his 22 sons or daughters to have struck at Group/Grade One level worldwide.

Others on that list include Subjectivist, who ran to a Timeform rating of 130 when winning last year’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, as well as the Melbourne Cup winners Cross Counter and Twilight Payment, both very smart stayers in their own right.

At the other end of the spectrum, Parish Hall (Dewhurst Stakes) and Gear Up (Criterium de Saint-Cloud) were both Group One-winning juveniles in Europe, while Havana Gold (Prix Jean Prat) and Pleascach (Irish 1000 Guineas) both won at the top level over a mile at three.

Teofilo himself never raced again after going unbeaten in five starts as a two-year-old, but his standing among the top tier of stallions standing in Europe is now well-established after more than a decade of service at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

Could he add a Derby winner at Epsom to his CV in 2022?

It’s not out of the question given that Nations Pride is sure to be among the favourites if being supplemented, already as short as 8/1.

And, in the shape of West Wind Blows, Teofilo will also be responsible for one of the livelier outsiders, a colt with untapped potential and trained by a man who is no stranger to smart horses following his long and successful association with Godolphin earlier this century.

Gosden makes Taghrooda comparison

An Epsom Classic victory might be a first for Teofilo, but it certainly wouldn’t be for Sea The Stars.

After winning the Derby himself in 2009, Sea The Stars has since emulated the likes of Galileo and New Approach by also siring a winner of the blue riband. The horse in question was Harzand, who gave the late Pat Smullen the best day of his illustrious career in the saddle when successful in 2016.

Sea The Stars had already ticked off the Oaks by then with Taghrooda, an impressive winner for John Gosden in 2014, and it was that filly with whom Emily Upjohn drew comparisons from her trainer when exercising at Epsom on Monday morning.

“I think she is in the Taghrooda league,” Gosden underlined. “It would be silly to start talking about Enable as that would be completely over the top.

“It is her ability to travel and quicken over a trip that reminds me of Taghrooda. I know they were playing, coming down the hill at a half-speed, but even the way she quickened today between the three and the two was impressive."

Gosden’s reluctance to compare Emily Upjohn to Enable – who recorded the first of her 11 Group One wins in the 2017 Oaks – is understandable, but the fact he is prepared to even mention her in the same breath as Taghrooda is still potentially very significant.

After all, Taghrooda wasn’t just any winner of the Oaks but a high-class one in her own right, as she showed when going on to add the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot to her tally, in the process becoming the first three-year-old filly since 1976 to win that Group One.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Emily Upjohn, but she has certainly made up for lost time after her giant frame prevented her from making her debut until November. Just six months later she is now as short as 10/11 to win the Oaks after extending her winning sequence to three with a totally dominant victory in the Musidora at York.

Admittedly, it’s fair to say that her effort on the Knavesmire was more about style than substance – her four rivals were also yet to win outside of maiden/novice company – but it was the manner of that success which left a lasting impression on Gosden, the filly answering every call and leaving no serious questions to be asked on a quiet morning at Epsom.

He added: “Frankie [Dettori, jockey] felt that for a filly who has had three races in her life it would be nice to come here and just have a look and feel of the track, which is all that you are doing as you are not trying to do any exploratory work.

“She behaved great, moved very well, got her leads right coming down the hill and quickened up nicely – I think she will come on a lot for that mentally.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.