Live horse racing blog: News, reviews and replays from Epsom's Cazoo Derby Festival

• Desert Crown (advised ante-post by Value Bet at 25/1) wins Cazoo Derby for Stoute
• Dettori's Diomed as Megallan makes all
• Value Bet doubles up with 10/1 winner Tees Spirit
• Bashkirova leads home one-two for Cheveley Park Stud in Group Three
• Delight for Sporting Life tipsters as Swilcan Bridge wins Cazoo Handicap
• Tough and resolute Midnights Legacy doubles up

All times BST, please refresh for updates

Goodbye for now

1728: There is still one more to come from Epsom as Racing TV have finally caught up with the Derby winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute but it's time for me to bid you farewell.

It's been an exciting and dramatic day from start to finish with a brilliant performance from Desert Crown in the Classic.

There will be plenty for us to pontificate on and chew over, from the careers of Sir Michael Stoute and Richard Kingscote, to what lies in store for Desert Crown and just how unlucky Westover was.

Those are questions for now and the future but take the time to watch a replay and enjoy a quite brilliant display from Desert Crown.

It's been a joy.

Thanks for reading. Roll on Royal Ascot.

Winning Legacy

1718: They're off for the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap.

Winter Reprise takes them along, Midnights Legacy has only one behind. Solent Gateway is also towards rear and on the inside so will need some luck.

He gets some luck but then the gap closes. Midnights Legacy comes through the back and pulls clear with Haliphon.

It's a photo between the 3/1 favourite and the 25/1 chance.

Haliphon looked to be in front before the line but Midnights Legacy was very game having wriggled through the pack and he has been called the winner.

That might help put a smile on Buick's face.

That's a fine training performance from Alan King who saddled Midnights Legacy to win this race last year; his owners are hopeful that he will make up into a stallion.

Luck suggests that the stewards will take a look at Buick's ride and that he might pick up a day or two.

He's a Dancer!

1710: It's been a brilliant day for Matt Brocklebank and his Value Bet column with winners at 14/1 and 12/1 before Desert Crown's success (advised ante-post at 25/1).

He doesn't have a selection in the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap but the field are on their way to post.

I had a very boring take on this race that Midnights Legacy and Solent Gateway were the two to focus on; they're the first two in the market at 7/2 and 9/2.

Luck fancied Solent Gateway 'like mad' for the Chester Cup (where I think he was also selected by Value Bet, possibly ante-post) but Dixon says he pulled too hard that day - 'like a mustang' - so didn't see it out and he agrees 'that he's very interesting' for this prize.

He's trained by Palmer who has had winners across the courses this afternoon.

The runners are arriving at the start where Winter Reprise is being led around by his jockey who is out of the plate.

Only a few left to load.

Go West

1654: I haven't caught up with the footage of Westover yet but jockey Rob Hornby has spoken to Chapman and says:

"He settled beautifully for me and I was quite happy.

"I was quite happy where I was at the top of the hill. I had the gap coming across the road and the gap closed faster than I could get into it which is tough as I really rattled home.

"He showed he is a high class horse and a huge talent to look forward to for the whole team."

"Most people say you would have finished second but do you think you'd have given the winner a real challenge with a clear run?" asked Chapman.

"Yeah," replied a clearly dejected jockey.

That must be hard to take.

More from Kingscote: "He was very good today, very smooth, very professional.

"Every time I've sat on him he's been very calm. He was very still when the fireworks went off and I couldn't fault him.

"I think he was a bit more push button today, York just took me a little while to wind him up, but today he was much more solid and alert. He does have gears. He's very likeable and has got a lot of class.

"I think it's quite surreal as a jockey, it's only through support of other people that you're able to do it and I think it took a lot of guts from Sir Michael and the owner to stick with me so I'm very grateful to them.

"I'm not a champion jockey, I'm not Ryan Moore. I've had a good career but I'm not a stylist.

"To have supporters like Sir Michael gives you confidence and I think it's done me good.

"Tom (Dascombe) has been great for me throughout my career, he's been a rock, has had my back and got the ball rolling."

King for a day

1643: That was hugely impressive.

That was just Richard Kingscote's second ride in the Derby and he will be over the moon. Here he is:

"You can't really (put it into words). As a kid I was useless but I've had a lot of support.

"He's obviously got a huge amount of class, he jumped great, travelled great, turned in going really well. It was all lovely.

"He's got a lot of class and gave me a lot of confidence, it's all about him and Sir Michael really. He's a lovely horse and a lovely gentleman trains him."

Hoo Ya Mal was second and Westover third with the Ballydoyle runners vanquished.

There was no doubt that Luxembourg was their number one a few weeks ago but a setback ruled him out of the race.

That may not have been the result that everyone wanted but a good many people did and the race was won with a performance that every racing fan should relish.

Plenty was made of Stoute's confidence in the build-up to this race and it proved to be well-founded. This unbeaten son of Nathaniel has a hugely exciting career ahead of him and he has already lit up this Flat season.

"He has the world at his feet'" says Chapman and let's hope he's right. He then goes on to wonder whether Westover would have won with a clear run, I'm far from convinced he's right about that.

Masekela was fourth which is a big run from him, spare a thought for Jason Watson who would have been on board but for injury.

The Cazoo Derby winner is.....Desert Crown

1633: There are whoops and cheers from the stands as fireworks are let off amid plenty of noise.

That seems fairly extraordinary. Bah humbug.

Walk Of Stars is 11s from 20s. He can't follow in Adayar's steps can he? Surely that's too much to ask. Place lay him! (Joke).

Apparently there were some protestors on the track (Luck didn't say what they were protesting against) but they have been removed by the police. It has all contributed to a delay to the race.

The bugles have sounded and the anticipation and noise levels are rising in the crowd. Fortunately all of this takes places a long way away from the Cazoo Derby start.

Desert Crown is one of the last to load...

Changingoftheguard leads. Stone Age is prominent against the rail, he's got a great position in third, just ahead of Star Of India.

Desert Crown and Royal Patronage track that pair. Stone Age and Desert Crown together in the centre.

Desert Crown hits the front and appears to be travelling strongly, he's gone on from two out.

He's destroyed them!

Parading for the Derby

1625: Posting the above is bound to put the mockers on Royal Patronage so apologies to connection and Matt but at least he's had a good day.

There aren't too many left to go in the parade and the field are gradually making their way to post for the Cazoo Derby (in memory of Lester Piggott).

No doubt you've nailed your colours to the mast already.

Desert Crown is 9/4, Stone Age 4/1, Nations Pride 6s, Changing of the Guard 17/1 and Piz Badile is 9/1 (from 11s).

Desert Crown 'seems to have all the ingredients' says Mangan on Racing TV.

There are no dramatic moves in the betting which Luck describes as 'unusually stagnant'.

Mangan was also very impressed with Piz Badile in the paddock, he caught the eye along with Westover.

Stone Age got a little worked up but they kept the lid on him apparently.

Desert Crown is out to 5/2 and will be attracting plenty of support at that price I'm sure. Stone Age is now 7/2 and there seems to be confidence behind his chances.

I like Star Of India and Piz Badile each-way and I'll throw them in combinations with Nations Pride and Desert Crown. I was keen enough to take on Stone Age at the odds but my confidence in that wavers as support continues to come for the Ballydoyle runner.

Nations Pride is out to 7/1 and Walk Of Stars into 12s.

11/4 now Desert Crown!

Coming of Age

1610: Stone Age has improved physically from Leopardstown according to the Racing TV team of Hislop and Berry.

Glory Daze is one of the outsiders that has been backed and he's been tipped up by Kevin Blake for Betfair.

Glory Daze chased home Stone Age last time when shaping as though he would relish stepping up to this mile and a half trip, he was one of the only runners in the field to overtake a rival.

Emma Spencer is with Sonny Liston and connections and nominates 'one of Aidan's' as the one to beat.

Rishi Persad has moved on to Harry Herbert who is 'hopeful we'll run a big race' if Royal Patronage sees out the trip which he believes he will do.

Stone Age has 'just had a little buck out' as he passes in front of the ITV cameras. The bell for the jockeys to mount has rung.

His owner Peter Brant tells Persad: "Very excited to be here, one of the great races in the world.

"He's (Stone Age) been a very generous horse. He's got a lot of experience.

"(To win the Derby) Would be one of the top experiences in my life."

Mulrennan says the field are all behaving well so far. Weaver makes a case for Walk Of Stars, believing he can take a big step forwards from Lingfield, Johnny Murtagh is with Desert Crown and so, too, is Cauthen.

Royal winner

1600: The second runner for Her Majesty The Queen has gone in to give her something to celebrate.

The first of her runners, Loudspeaker, could only finish seventh at Doncaster in a race won by the progressive Salvatore Mundi.

Another progressive Newmarket trained runner won the following race too with Migdam completing a hat-trick for Sir Michael Stoute.

That's no bad thing ahead of Desert Crown's run in the Cazoo Derby which is up next.

Emily Upjohn shortened up in the market near post time yesterday and I expected the same to be true of Desert Crown but he's 5/2 in a place and the layers are dangling a carrot or two.

Stone Age and Nations Pride continue to be backed against him.

Sprint King

1548: Almost set.

Justanotherbottle reared as the gates opened and is tailed off in the Simpex Express 'Dash' Handicap. That's infuriating if you were with him.

Tees Spirit beats Mountain Peak.

Mokaatil and Equality in a photo for third. The latter got bronze.

Dandy Nicholls was known as the Sprint King and Tees Spirit, who completed a hat-trick, is trained by his son Adrian.

It's been a super day for Value Bet and his followers as Matt advised Swilcan Bridge at 14/1 and Tees Spirit at 12s (returned at 10/1).

Stone Of Destiny for the record filled one of those extra places in sixth with 6/1 favourite Live In The Dream fifth.

Things are coming together nicely for Nicholls with Mo Celita proving very progressive last season and he's unearthed another gem in Tees Spirit who was rated just 65 when joining the yard and was winning this afternoon from 83.

Tees Spirit will be knocking on the door of 90 now and Adrian has clearly learnt a thing or two from the old man about how to handle these sprinters.

The fastest five

1532: The Simpex Express 'Dash' Handicap is firmly filed in the too hard category but fortunately our team of tipsteres are made of sterner stuff and they all, I think, have selections in this race.

There has been money for Mid Winster who would have been my notional fancy and she's of interest being in-form and a runner for Paul Midgley who has won this race in the past and seen others go close.

She is now as low as 9/1 from a high of 20s so quite a gamble has developed. She's now 8s and was 33s yesterday.

Stone Of Destiny is 7/1 which isn't too bad an each-way price given he ran well in last year's renewal (third) and is significantly lower in the handicap.

He will need some luck in running but we know the demands of this race suit him and that he has the requisite class. There are five, six and seven places on offer with the bookmakers and the price coupled with those extra places make him well worth considering.

Mokaatil won last year's renewal and his trainer, Ian Williams, reports him to be in good form.

I'm fairly sure Martin Dixon tipped him on Racing TV last year and I'm keen to hear who he fancies today. He was in the middle of talking about the race when the Racing TV extra channel froze on me again. Hopefully, they'll replay it on the main channel where they're currently playing the Williams interview.

Thegreatestshowman 'at a price' is the one for Dixon. They're loading.

De Sousa is overweight again which Luck says is 'most unusual'.

Piz up?

1523: More from Dettori in that interview with Hislop and he certainly seems to be looking forward to his ride on Piz Badile in the Cazoo Derby.

He expects Piz Badile to be well suited by the step up in trip and added:

"He's a horse that has slipped under the radar, I'm hopeful."

Donnacha O'Brien's runner is currently an 11/1 shot and is certainly a colt I'm interested in at those odds.

As with many of these colts, the Derby has been on his agenda for a long time and I think there's some juice in his price after a good performance in the Ballysax Stakes.

I'll also be looking to combine him with Star Of India and Desert Crown and possibly Nations Pride but I'm content enough to take on Stone Age.

You've got to try and get one of the fancied ones beaten after all and I think he's short enough on the back of that impressive win at Leopardstown.

'med to measure

1512: Megallan is 4/1 from 13/2 but Mutassabeq is 11/8 from 5/2.

Modern News continues to drift and is 3/1.

We're past post time and loading is underway.

Simon Holt has the call on Racing TV for the Cazoo Diomed Stakes and Megallan has set out to make all, he has Zakouski for company. The favourite has only Escobar behind.

Dettori stays on the rail in the straight. Challengers on his outside. Megallan holds off Modern News and Mutasaabeq who was never closer than at the line.

Was track position key?

The winning position was about three parts of a length. Front-running didn't work out on Pyledriver yesterday but Dettori is brilliant when controlling a race and timed his fractions to perfection there.

The favourite was asked to come from a long way back which may not have favoured him and he may not have been racing on the best part of the track as we've heard a few times already today. I think there are fewer excuses for the second who had a better track position.

Dettori tells Bell: "He has his off days but when he's good, he's good.

"He just didn't handle the track (at Chester)."

Subsequently interviewed on Racing TV, Dettori is in little doubt that the inside is the best place to be and I think we can expect the rest of the races to develop on the far side.

John Gosden: "He (Dettori) said if he jumps well, he's going to let him roll and that's fine here. It's lovely to see these colours back in the winner's enclosure here.

"He's a good horse at this level and I think he's capable of going up in grade as long as the trainer runs him over the right trip; I'll talk to Thady!"

'beq bet?

1456: William Haggas is in a borrowed suit today having left his morning suit in a dry cleaner's in London but he doesn't seem to mind too much and no wonder with his horses running so well.

He isn't represented in the Cazoo Diomed Stakes so he can go and enjoy the celebrations after Bashkirova ran out a well backed winner.

Also well backed today has been Mutasaabeq and the Sussex Stakes entry heads the betting at 7/4.

Modern News, well fancied for the Lincoln, has been surprisingly easy to back having won his last two. Buick's day may not be about to get any better if the market is right.

There is a little support for Megallan which is interesting as I think he can be forgiven a desperate run at Chester where he never looked happy on the tight course. His earlier form stacks up well.

Zakouski isn't for me but Baker and Yates both made some sort of case for him this morning. In contrast, Finest Sound doesn't have many supporters but this is a race that the Crisfords have enjoyed some success in.

"It was his first run of the year so it was quite exciting to see him run so well." says Charles Hills of the favourite.

"I'm pretty relaxed about the ground. He's got a good action (so hopefully he'll handle the track).

"We've been happy with him. Hopefully, we're in there with a shout. He's a horse that's grown up massively with racing. If he gets a nice run round, you never know."

Sensational Marquand

1449: A word from the winning trainer of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes:

"She's a lovely genuine filly, she tries hard, she's going the right way but I don't know how much more there is to come. I'm sure she'll do well throughout the year.

"He's (Marquand) an excellent rider, he's very fit, very strong and very personable and at the moment he's very confident.

"He's riding these good horses really well. His ride on Alenquer last weekend was sensational."

More from the sensational Marquand:

"Everything fell exactly like we hoped it would do for her, it was a straightforward ride.

"Her asset has always been a great mind but now she's got the body to do what her mind is telling her.

"Three horses off to six off (the rail) is where I wanted to be."

Sky Bet Derby update

1446: A word from Sky Bet's Michael Shinners on the Cazoo Derby betting:

"In paying 6 places we have a spread of business, particularly the bigger priced runners.

"At present, our worst results are Nations Pride of the fancied horses and Grand Alliance of the bigger priced runners."

Bish, bosh, Bash

1433: The runners are arriving at the start for this Group Three.

This isn't a race I have a view on but if I had to pick one it would be Technique although there are obvious concerns about the drop in trip.

The first of the runners has been loaded. Let's hope for a good, clean break this time!

There was very little to choose between Bashkirova and Mrs Fitzherbert at Goodwood, a little surprisingly the beaten horse is favourite to avenge defeat.

Miss Marble and Flash Betty have the lead from Roman Mist and Mrs Fitzherbert. Into the straight.

Oddly they have come down the middle of the course.

Bashkirova is more towards the far side and she runs on strongly to beat Potapova (also towards the far side), a one-two for Cheveley Park, with Roman Mist third.

A winner for William Haggas and Tom Marquand and a deserved success arguably after their unfortunate second in the opener with Grenoble.

Dixon is not too impressed with the jockeys who came wide down the straight and he'll be prepared to forgive some disappointing runs there.

Mangan asks him why they didn't stick to the rail and he's lost for words as is Luck who asks Berry the same question. He dodges it to some extent but he does add that 'you can't beat fresh ground'. They should be on the inside.

Marquand describes the winner as 'an absolute gem'.

Bell goes on to ask him about the ground and the best place to be:

"To be honest, I think people will go where they can in the Derby, where there's a bit of room.

"I don't think the bias is that strong but there might be one and I know where I want to be anyway!"

That's clearly where he ended up in that race, towards the far side rail.

And breathe....

1426: The Cazoo Handicap is often a good race but I wasn't expecting it to provide quite so much drama.

The jockeys are already in the saddle for the Princess Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Cazoo).

Hislop has just rushed on camera after grabbing a word with Buick.

He told her that he was hit on the top of the head and needed 30 seconds to collect himself. He said that to the starter and other jockeys did the same.

It is worth re-iterating that Turner told Hislop that she didn't hear anything and was completely unaware of the incident.

Buick also told Hislop that "It was very dangerous and a very bad mistake."

He's clearly not happy.

Onto the second and Dixon is talking about the importance of the draw. They stayed on the inside in the opener and Dixon points out that those wider on the track struggled.

There is a fresh strip of ground on the inside whereas those a few lengths off the rail will be racing on ground that was used yesterday and it could be tackier and slower after the morning showers.

What a start

1410: Hayley Turner rode the winner who tells Oli Bell: "I was getting quite a nice lead of James and was just staying behind him as he (Blue Trail) could have gone left or right.

"He (Blue Trail) gave me a nice lead actually.

"He's a big horse and he just enjoyed striding along."

There is a stewards' enquiry into the start and ITV have just provided a close up from the camera in the stalls. The horse to his right reared up and knocked Buick in the head and he was leaning on the side of the stalls, recovering as the gates opened.

Cauthen described the blow that Buick took as being hit by a knockout punch. Hopefully there will be a clip of the incident on twitter soon enough.

There are pictures showing the St John's Ambulance team attending to him but he's reportedly fine. That was just extraordinary.

It was an extraordinary start for our team of tipsters too.

Swilcan Bridge was returned at 7/1, Grenoble 25/1 and War Horse 15/2.

The stewards will have to determine whether Blue Trail will be deemed a starter or a non-runner which obviously affects everyone as there would be a fairly significant Rule 4 if he's deemed a non-runner.

'That's negligent, the race should not have started' says Luck. There are some strong words being bandied about on Racing TV.

There wouldn't have been an awful lot of time for the starter to react and I imagine there's a fair bit of noise at the start for the starter to contend with.

Turner has just told Racing TV that she didn't hear anything over on the inside so presumably the starter didn't either.

Famous cigar moment

1400: There is a lively market for the Cazoo Handicap with three horses vying for favouritism and support for a number of those in behind.

Charlie Appleby trains Blue Trail, one of those market leaders, and tells ITV Racing: "Hopefully the ease in the ground and the step up in trip is going to make him very competitive."

War Horse has got quite worked up, sufficiently so for the Racing TV team to think that it's a real worry.

Loading is well underway; good luck with all of your selections.

Blue Trail has been left in the stalls, or at least William Buick has, as his mount has gone without him. I wonder what on earth happened? The commentator believes Buick wasn't in the saddle and ready for the starter.

High drama.

Swilcan Bridge is well placed in second for our tipping team.

They've stayed on the far side and the front two have had the race to themselves throughout before two closers sweep down on them. PHOTO.

Swilcan Bridge wins, second Grenoble was possibly fancied by the loose horse, third War Horse, fourth Oh Herbert's Reign.

Top tipping from our team with Value Bet, Punting Pointers and Ben Linfoot all selecting Swilcan Bridge.

Were you on?

Juvenile theory

1349: "There is a theory, that I subscribe to, that Aidan O'Brien's two year olds weren't right last year so I wouldn't hold that (Stone Age's juvenile defeats) against him," so said Fran Berry.

He gave a mention to Luxembourg - remember him? - before saying that he's not convinced by Stone Age and prefers Piz Badile and Star of India.

Berry and Lydia Hislop have been casting their eyes over the runners for the opening Cazoo Handicap.

Adele Mulrennan is doing the same for ITV Racing and reports that Mr Big Stuff lives up to his name and is a strong individual.

He's a short price on the back of an unlucky run and I'm in no rush to side with him here for all that the London Gold Cup is often one of the strongest early season handicaps.

Hugo Palmer: "Harry Davies' mother is my assistant and she asked me why we'd taken him off Nolton Cross.

"He can't do the weight so we're taking the 5 off Box To Box.

"Nolton Cross is a little bit of a goof, he's always looking at things and there's plenty to look at at Epsom on Derby Day. I can't split them."

Apparently Silvestre de Sousa has put up 2lbs overweight on Nolton Cross, it's a shame Palmer wasn't asked about that!

Martin Dixon thinks that Nolton Cross is still well handicapped although that could apply to a few in this field.

Speaking words of wisdom

1323: Some thoughts from the team on course at Epsom Downs above and plenty of food for thought while you have your lunch although I'll need to have a winner or two to be dining on some wagyu this evening.

Those six places being offered in the Derby will certainly tempt a few in and the two outside the big names that interest me at the current prices are Star Of India and Piz Badile.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Buckaroo beat Stone Age in a Galway maiden but I liked the way that Piz Badile knuckled down to beat Buckaroo in the Ballysax and I wouldn't let the second's subsequent defeat worry me too much.

I was quite taken with both Changingoftheguard and Star Of India at Chester and have to side with the latter given the price differential. I don't know whether Seamie Heffernan has the choice of rides after Ryan Moore but it's certainly not a bad thing that he takes the ride on Star Of India.

Star of India looked a strong stayer on the Roodee and that is a positive coming into the Derby and I'm hopeful that he'll prove good enough to be in the mix.

That said, and as several have said this morning in the previews, Desert Crown could be a potential superstar and the nostalgia about Sir Michael Stoute's career aside, most people want to see the Derby won by a potential superstar.

Matt Chapman has just spoken to his trainer:

"Probably on the slow side of good, the ground shouldn't be a problem.

"I don't know (if he has enough experience) is the honest truth, he's only had two races and one would have preferred him to have more than that but we didn't have the time.

"He was impressive at York and we are hopeful.

"On the dam's side it doesn't make him a certainty (to stay); we'll find out.

"I have understood that (the public are hoping that he will win the Derby). I'm touched."

The stage is set

1306: The stage is set for one of the biggest day's racing in the British calendar and it appears to be a reasonably glorious day on the Downs (in stark contrast to the conditions outside my window) as it is at Lord's where the stage is also set for a fascinating conclusion.

I wouldn't mind being at either venue.

ITV Racing have coverage of the jockeys' parade and they look resplendent in those famous silks.

All we need now are the horses and it won't be too long until those runners for the Cazoo Handicap are in the pre-parade ring.

This handicap often goes to a hugely competitive runner and has been landed by future pattern race campaigners. I wasn't sure there was anything you would file in that category in this year's line-up and was drawn to one of the outsiders in Sweeping.

A decent fourth in the Chesham at Royal Ascot (ahead of Derby runner Masekela), Sweeping looks to have been crying out for this step up in trip and should be cherry ripe after an encouraging reappearance at Wolverhampton.

He's fitted with cheekpieces for the first time which is no bad thing and Hollie Doyle seemed fairly positive in her blog on At The Races, saying: "Archie Watson's Sweeping is a horse we have always thought a lot about.

"Ground conditions will be to his liking and he is entitled to strip fitter for his comeback run at Wolverhampton last month when he was second to William Haggas's smart prospect Yonafis.

"Archie puts the cheekpieces on him for the first time on Saturday. He's not ungenuine but the sheepskins should just help him focus in a big field."

Sweeping has drifted to 20s from 12/1 but I'm not going to let that put me off, especially with extra place and Money Back offers (see below) available with various firms.

Pride comes first?

1250: More from Paddy Power's twitter feed on the state of their Cazoo Derby market:

"We've now seen a few quid for the Charlie Appleby-trained pair of #NationsPride and #Nahanni in the #CazooDerby at Epsom (4.30pm) with the former 11-2 from 6 and Nahanni 25 from 28 for the team winning Guineas for fun and who saddled last year's Derby hero Adayar."

There is still plenty of 9/4 available about Desert Crown with Stone Age next best at 5/1 but the 13/2 on Nations Pride has gone and there isn't much 6/1 about either.

There doesn't appear to be too much love for anything else at the moment although it's worth remembering that the move for Adayar came fairly late in the day 12 months ago.

The countdown continues to the first which is a little over an hour away and there seems to be plenty going on in that market which is still headed by Newbury eyecatcher Mr Big Stuff.

Whether that is still the case come post time remains to be seen as Blue Trail and Nolton Cross aren't far behind and a host of those behind the top three are showing up in 'blue' on the Oddschecker grid.

There's a parade of jockeys, all in The Queen's silks, about to take place on the course at Epsom.

Going, going, gone

1228: Going news courtesy of the Jockey Club's news service and confirmation of what Andrew Cooper expected to be the case before heading out to walk the course.

Following around 3mm of rain at Epsom Downs this morning, the going for Derby Day is now:

Sprint Course: Good

Derby Course: Good, Good to Soft in places

Andrew Cooper, Clerk of the Course, said: “The Derby strip is Good, Good to Soft in places, and the straight course is Good.

“We’ve had only around 3mm of rain this morning, and I think it has cleared now, or at least certainly for the foreseeable, which is what we were expecting.

“The GoingStick reading on the Derby strip is 7.4, and that compares to 7.1 on the Oaks strip at the same time yesterday, so it’s a little quicker.”

There is a further non-runner to report in Farhan who misses the penultimate race.

There is also confirmation that Atzeni will ride Masekela in the Cazoo Derby and this is what he had to say ahead of his seventh ride in the Classic:

“It’s always nice to pick up a ride in the Derby, but it’s a shame for Jason (Watson) to miss his first ride in the race after what happened yesterday. The closest I’ve got before was on Kingston Hill, who was second to Australia (in 2014), but I’ve had a few rides in the race.

“Masekela is one of the outsiders and has got to improve plenty, but if you look at his two-year-old form it was decent, and his run in the Feilden was a solid run, when the pace was very slow. Obviously in the Dante (where Masekela was withdrawn at the start) he just reared up in the stalls.

“The question mark is the trip, but his dam stayed a mile and a half. He’s probably bred to stay, but it looks like he’s got plenty of pace, so we’ll have to see. Andrew (Balding, trainer) was a bit worried there might be a lot of rain, but it will probably just ride on the slow side.”

Racing legends

1222: Dave Stevens is excited having just met 'racing legend' Steve Cauthen and he reminisces with Rachel Casey before (eventually) providing an update on Coral's market movers.

I don't think there were many as there was an awful lot of blather about the big day.

Nations Pride did get a mention.

Cauthen, Stoute and Lester Piggott are not the only legends of the game receiving plaudits as Galileo has become only the second horse to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame via public vote, securing a tight victory against his impressive rivals, Sea The Stars and Shergar.

The public were invited to decide on one horse to be inducted into the Hall of Fame from a shortlist of three Derby-winning greats agreed by the Hall of Fame’s independent judging panel.

Several of Galileo’s sons and grandsons are set to line-up in the Cazoo Derby, headed by Stone Age, and he, of course, was responsible for yesterday's Oaks winner in Tuesday.

Susan Magnier, Galileo’s co-owner during his racing career, said: “We were thrilled to hear that Galileo has been inducted into QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame. He was a very special horse to everyone here at Coolmore and Ballydoyle and hopefully his legacy will continue for many years to come.

“Given the special year of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, we were delighted that the panel focused on Derby winners for the shortlist and that the public vote saw Galileo chosen.”

Galileo joins recent inductees Frankie Dettori and Dancing Brave as the ‘Class of 2022’ within the Hall of Fame, while he becomes the seventh horse to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after Frankel, Brigadier Gerard, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Dayjur and Dancing Brave.

Dayjur is the only other horse to also have been chosen for entry via a public vote.

Those were the days my friend

1210: Yates is talking passionately about Sir Michael Stoute and his own imprint in the history of horse racing from Shergar through to Shahrastani and Kris Kin.

There are a few more besides.

He has already pointed out that it would be a great human story were Desert Crown to win the Cazoo Derby and it's impossible to argue with that.

There often seems to be a greater respect for sporting figures in the twilight of their careers than when they're operating at their prime, perhaps in the knowledge that we may not have too many more days like them and there's plenty of nostalgia to evoke those emotions too.

I can remember exactly where I was when Kris Kin won the Derby as I was a best man at a wedding. Fortunately the groom's father arranged for the race to be recorded and shown before the meal.

Priorities are important!

I suppose I ought to wish them a happy anniversary.

Her Majesty The Queen has been involved in racing for some time too and shared a few of those moments with Sir Michael.

Great British Racing have provided some key statistics for Her Majesty in racing:

• *1,080 British winners (1,010 Flat, 70 Jumps)
• *correct as of pre-racing 26th May
• First winner: Monaveen, 10th October 1949
• Five British Classic winners:
• Carrozza – Oaks at Epsom (1957)
• Pall Mall – 2000 Guineas at Newmarket (1958)
• Highclere – 1000 Guineas at Newmarket (1974)
• Dunfermline – Oaks at Epsom (1977)
• Dunfermline – St Leger at Doncaster (1977)
• 24 Royal Ascot wins, including Estimate in the 2013 Gold Cup
• 11 British Group 1s
• Two-time Champion Owner: 1954 and 1957
• Twice placed in the Derby:
• Aureole (2nd – 1953)
• Carlton House (3rd – 2011)
• Most successful year: 2021
• 39 winners (36 Flat, 3 Jumps)

Sky Bet Derby latest

1152: A word from Michael Shinners on Sky Bet's market for the Cazoo Derby.

"The Cazoo Derby market has proved a lively one with us paying 6 places.

"Two horses have been well supported at different ends of the market.

"The William Buick/Charlie Appleby combination team up with Nations Pride and he’s been well backed into 5/1.

"Andy Oliver saddles Glory Daze and, at a big price, his runner has been backed in from 40/1 from 66/1.

"Currently Desert Crown heads the market at 9/4 but is relatively weak in the market."

Dash for cash

1144: The Simpex Express 'Dash' Handicap is not my bag and I downed tools fairly quickly.

It is the sort of race that makes plenty of appeal to our tipping team though and there's a fair bit of agreement across the tipsters today.

Justanotherbottle is selected by both Ben Linfoot and Punting Pointers.

Kevin Ryan's runner is a best of 14s and Sky Bet are paying down to seventh place for that contest.

Roger Varian enjoyed a decent Friday at Epsom and there has been support for his Dusky Lord who is a general 8/1 from 12s but I wondered whether he had sufficient experience for this particular contest.

Hopefully, a few punters will have some funds to play up by that stage as Swilcan Bridge is a selection for the aforementioned columns as well as Matt Brocklebank's Value Bet.

It could be a glorious start to proceedings.

All of our tips can be found via the link at the top of the page.

At Her Majesty's pleasure

1125: Martin Dwyer is talking to Rachel Casey about riding for The Queen and the delight and joy in doing so.

There were one or two anecdotes in there that I only had half an ear on as he talked about the honour in being part of the guard of honour.

He did add that several members of his family had stayed with The Queen....................before clarifying 'at Her Majesty's pleasure that is'.

Casey seemed a little nonplussed and quickly changed the subject.

The Queen doesn't have a runner at Epsom and won't be in attendance but she will be represented by a runner at each of Doncaster, Worcester and Chepstow.

Have they all been laid out for this weekend do you think?

Fancy a Royal trixie?

Power moves!

1118: Via Twitter there are some market movers for Epsom Downs from Paddy Power and they are as follows:

1400: Blue Trail 5/1 from 11/2

1435 Mrs Fitzherbert 11/4 from 10/3

1510 Mutasaabeq 15/8 from 5/2

1545 Live In The Dream 15/2 from 8/1

The Racing TV team have been discussing the Princess Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Cazoo) and while it hasn't had my full attention, I did hear that both expected Potapova to improve considerably from her reappearance second to Roman Mist.

There are concerns that it could be a messy, tactical race.

All change at Ballydoyle

1103: Angus McNae fancies Stone Age to win the Cazoo Derby but adds that Changingoftheguard has been underestimated having won at Chester in a fast time and he's currently drawing comparisons with Serpentine.

Surely we won't see a repeat of the 2020 Derby.

McNae believes 'he will not come back if they let him go', later adding 'he is massively underestimated this horse'.

Changingoftheguard will wear cheekpieces for the first time and McNae believes they've been fitted because they want him to be on his mettle and make the running; McNae has seen nothing to suggest that Changingoftheguard needs them to improve his attitude or to help him concentrate.

He hands back to the trio on course who are being drowned out by a band / the PA system before my screen freezes.

They've moved on to the draw by the time the picture returns but at least the 'background' music has ceased. There are some warm words about Star of India (I spoke too soon about the music) who I think is rather more interesting than Changingoftheguard given their respective prices.

Stone Age failed to win at two but is fast setting that record straight and was very impressive last time, as you'd expect given his market position and the plaudits that he's received. His experience is certainly not a hindrance and a lack of racing is being held against Desert Crown in some quarters.

He is very easy to like and he's on the improve are two phrases that have been shouted out above the music. No conclusions have been drawn just yet.

Yates makes the point that they all need to improve from their trials but thinks Piz Badile needs to improve significantly.

Stanley 'can't make a decision' which seems a fairly rare admission and one that I'm quite happy to hear to be honest! It's refreshing.

Yates 'really hopes' Desert Crown wins for reasons beyond the financial while Baker likes Walk Of Stars.

Walk the walk

1045: Variations of 'it's a guessing game' are being trotted out this morning with the point being made that the Cazoo Derby comes very early in the careers of these young colts and it's very hard to know how far and how quickly they will progress.

Dave Yates is chatting through the race with Tom Stanley and George Baker and made the point about how green Walk Of Stars was at Lingfield. He wouldn't be surprised to see Nahanni take a big step forwards.

Baker is quite complimentary about Walk Of Stars and doesn't think he was as bad as has been made out at Lingfield; he believes the larger field will help and he'll prove to be an easier ride for James Doyle.

Stanley largely agrees but is concerned that Dubawi has yet to produce an Oaks or Derby winner. Is that just a quirk?

Desert Crown's Dante is next to come under the microscope and he was hugely impressive at York.

Yeats makes the point that Desert Crown 'was only just ready to run at York' after a spring setback (according to his trainer) although he makes the point that that caution is in keeping with the general modus operandi in racing ahead of trials.

There's a lot of love for Sir Michael Stoute and Desert Crown would be a popular winner.

Baker cites his loyalty to Richard Kingscote, revealing that a number of jockeys were putting out feelers trying to get the ride on Desert Crown in the Dante.

The consensus is that he's the right favourite but there's a difference of opinion as to whether he is backable or not with Baker a nay and Yates more taken by the 9/4.

Stagnant markets

1026: It all looks to be fairly quiet on the market movers front at Epsom on the Oddschecker page.

Perhaps people are waiting to hear if there will be a going change after those morning showers.

Mutasaabeq continues to be popular in the Diomed Stakes, Midnight Legacy has been backed to reprise last year's victory in the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap and Commanche Falls has been cut to give weight and a beating to his rivals in the finale.

As for the Cazoo Derby, Desert Crown looks solid at 9/4, Stone Age is a general 9/2 (with a little 5s) but there has been some support for Nations Pride who remains a best of 13/2.

It is 9/1 Changingoftheguard, 11/1 Piz Badile and 16/1 and upwards the remainder.

It promises to be a competitive race.

Watson misses Derby day

1017: Bad luck for Jason Watson who won't be having his first ride in the Cazoo Derby having been injured at Doncaster yesterday when unshipped on the way to post.

“It was on the way to the start at Doncaster last night, King’s Crusader got loose before the second race,” said Watson’s agent Chris Dixon.

“He’s gone to see the doctor and we don’t know exactly what the damage is but all we know is he won’t be riding in the Derby.

“We’ll just have to see how long he’ll be out and obviously it’s the worst time of the season to be injured so we hope it won’t be long.

“Masekela was a nice ride to pick up, he was inexperienced but his form with Native Trail stood out. He’s a very talented horse.

“Jason is just looking forward now, there’ll be other years for him, hopefully.

Masekela's trainer Andrew Balding said: “It happened last night I believe, Andrea Atzeni will ride I think.”

That has not yet been confirmed and nor have jockeys for Watson's other mounts, Escobar and Alligator Alley.

As well as the jockey changes, there are two non-runners with Stevenson out of the opener and Premier Power the last.

Showers ease going

1012: Good morning,

I turned on Racing TV mid-interview with Andrew Cooper who had some fairly strong words about the difficulties of preparing a course and watering and in asking for greater understanding of the job. It was interesting stuff.

More pertinently for many, this is some of what Cooper had to say about the ground going into today; there will obviously be an official update once the track has been walked.

"We've had 3mm here basically since 8 o'clock this morning.

"It's produced a going stick reading of 7.4, this time yesterday the track was producing 7.1, and the higher readings represent drier ground. This rain will probably bring it back towards where we were yesterday. We're about to go and walk it.

"It will all just be easing a fraction, we've got raced over ground in places. I'm still thinking the action will take place on middle to top side."

He's expecting it to be good, good to soft in places but that will be confirmed - or not - in due course.

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