IT IS great to see the Betfred Derby (Epsom, 3.30) attract a big field of 19 runners this afternoon and after the brilliant staging of the Kentucky Derby in the US again this year, we are very much on the back foot trying to keep the Epsom classic anywhere near the top of the world racing tree.

Prize money makes it nowhere near one of the best Group One events around the world, crowds are down massively and it rarely makes the header in the sports sections let alone near the front of a newspaper or sports website as it would have done in its pomp throughout the 20th century — it is the forgotten event in the British sporting crown and badly needs resuscitating.

Betfred has done brilliantly to step in and sponsor this famous event, in fact it is the first bookmaker to support all five classics throughout the year and that is typical of owner Fred Done, a brilliant businessman whose foresight should surely by utilised by the government and racing’s bigwigs to help raise the level of exposure of this wonderful sport to the general public, but that will never happen as the powers that be regard bookmakers, still, as the bad boys on the other side of the punting fence. That means they too have a dislike for the punter and yet without these two institutions there would be no horse racing industry. Let’s hope that this year’s race is a cracker and gives us plenty to talk about on the positive side.

So on to the race proper and as per normal Aidan O’Brien has a strong hand with three entries headed by Ryan Moore’s mount Delacroix who has own both his trial races at Leopardstown on brilliant style. He has beaten several of this rivals set to line up here in the process. However, both of those events were slowly run and like his stable mate The Lion In Winter there is no guarantee that he will see out the extra two furlongs if we get a true-run race, which is highly likely with the big field in play.

In contrast, the third string, Lambourn, looks a certainty to see out the yardage having stayed on very strongly to land the Chester Vase over an extended mile-and-a-half last month. However, I am not too sure about the level of strength of that race and I would rather look elsewhere.

The unbeaten Prince of Arras beat several of his rivals here with an impressive success in the Dante Stakes at York and will relish the extra distance here, as will those in behind him that day, namely Damysus (2nd), Nightwalker (5th, looks like a natural St Leger player), The Lion In Winter (6th, pulled too hard), Tuscan Hills (7th) and Sea Scout (8th).

But away from that major trial, the charge that has impressed me most has been TENNESSEE STUD. Joseph O’Brien’s charge finished six-and-three-quarter lengths off Delacroix in the Group Three Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown on his three-year-old debut. That day he was outpaced a quarter-of-a-mile out by the winner who had the run of the race in a moderately run affair. The son of Wootton Bassett will be very much at home over this extra distance and with several of those at the top of the market having stamina doubts, including 2,000 Guineas’ winner Ruling Court, he will be cutting down the majority of his rivals down the home stretch.

The rest of the Epsom card is a tough test for us punters to try to dissect with two big field five furlong handicaps charging down the quickest sprint track in the world. The Aston Martin Dash Handicap at 2.45 also has a big field of 19 set to go to post and with more rain anticipated this afternoon, high-drawn entries should once again hold sway.

Democracy Dilemma will certainly lead the set of horses middle to low, but there is a bundle of pace right across the field. He set the tempo for nine tenths of the race last year before being collared by Dream Composer in the final few yards. The former is much better off at the weights, but wouldn’t want too much rain.

That leads me in the direction of JER BATT who is not badly drawn in stall nine. He finished a close-up second to Cover Up in last year’s Portland Handicap at Doncaster over five-and-a-half furlongs and if he can hold a midfield placing I suspect this still improving five-year-old could go very close off only a 1lb higher mark than for his Town Moor second. 

Of the remainder, the well-drawn Fair Wind could go well from box number 13. He is one of only a few that won’t mind if the conditions deteriorate and his progressive form last year reads pretty well in the context of this race. He has a nice recent pipe opener at Chester and that run should have put him spot on here.

The mile-and-a-half Northern Dancer Handicap which follows the Derby at 4.15 looks hugely competitive and preference is for VALVANO who could prove head and shoulders above this lot off a mark of 97. Ralph Beckett’s charge was a staying on fifth in the November Handicap on soft ground last year and returned with a really solid fourth of 11 at Goodwood, a race which has a solid look to it.

The finale, a six-furlong handicap at 5.40 is a tough one to end the meeting on. Drama is very much on the upgrade, but a seven-pound penalty on top of the likely softening ground makes me pass him by and a better wager could well come in the form of 2023 winner and closing seventh last year, BADRI.

That success came off a rating of 96 and last year’s run was off 98. The veteran speedster now finds himself racing off a mark of 88 from stall one and I find it hard to see him out of the first four and double-figure odds will see me going in with a handy each-way play.

Elsewhere this afternoon, POWER OF GOLD (Musselbugh, 1.55) has a chance of making up for a below-par effort last time out at Chepstow, while the best wager on the card at the Edinburgh track could well come in the form of the lightly raced STORM CALL in the five-furlong handicap at 4.25. This son of Soldier’s Call has yet to race on ground softer than good, but has an action that suggests he could relish it and there is surely more to come from this three-year-old.