Cornelius Lysaght reflects on his favourite Investec Derby at Epsom

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Cornelius Lysaght - Golden Horn, 2015

There has been a notable constant in the 30 or so years that I have been reporting on horse racing.

No, okay you are right, there have actually been a few: a cold wind continues to gallop across Newmarket Heath even in high summer; non-runners still abound amongst those scheduled to be drawn in high-numbered stalls at Chester and Beverley; and the same unmistakable shudder afflicts TV producers at the thought of veteran trainer Mick Easterby approaching with another rascally one-liner up his frayed sleeve. Sadly, the brilliant beef bap stall at Leicester races did not quite ‘get the trip’.

But the most enduring fixture of all has been Frankie Dettori who, aged nearly 50, takes the bandwagon that served him so well at Royal Ascot to Epsom for a 25th mount in the Derby, this time on English King.

But it was not always thus. In 2015 when Dettori partnered the John Gosden-trained Golden Horn, things were very different – he had not even ridden in the three previous stagings.

During a career that the big-smiling, exuberant Italian has himself described as something of a ‘roller coaster’, the cars in this particular fairground ride were not moving as smoothly as those spread across Epsom Downs on a traditional Derby day.

In 2012, after months of rumour, there was an unhappy split with Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin stable for which he had been the hugely-successful first-choice rider since the operation was conceived in the mid-1990s.

Worse was to come when a six-month suspension was imposed following a positive drugs test in France; later, he admitted to using cocaine when “things were going bad”.

And the numbers were way down too: suddenly three champion jockey titles – twice with 200-plus successes - and all those post-race flying dismounts seemed an age away. People were beginning to mutter behind their hands about ‘sell-by dates’.

It was against this backdrop that Dettori won that April’s Feilden Stakes at Newmarket on Golden Horn, having resumed an old association with Gosden when William Buick departed to Godolphin.

A month later, the Anthony Oppenheimer-bred and owned colt, a son of the stallion Cape Cross, underlined his Derby prospects with a comprehensive success in the ever-significant Dante Stakes at York – but with Buick on board as Dettori preferred the Gosden team’s Jack Hobbs.

But he was back in the saddle at Epsom where a combination of jockey-profile and the horse’s own impressive credentials ensured they were accompanied by a haze of hype, and the pair lived up to it, mounting a challenge down the straight before positively slamming Jack Hobbs, subsequently the easy Irish Derby winner.

I have rarely seen the winning rider quite so emotional, and I recall feeling emotional for him; talk about redemption.

The extraordinary roller coaster ride was back on an upward curve, and the trend continued as Golden Horn added three more Group One-level victories – including the Arc – plus a narrowly-beaten second place at the Breeders’ Cup during a truly golden year for all concerned.

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