Amazing that forty years has passed by since the two hundredth running of the Epsom Derby. And how the shape of the sport has changed since, for the threat of the betting public being weaned off horse racing could not even be spotted on the distant horizon back then, so ludicrous it would have sounded.
Having a look back at that pleasing renewal one factor that springs to mind and which cannot be emphasised enough is how the appearance of any sport is made more appealing by the jam being spread around, with more unrelated factions, cliques, call them dynasties even, in opposition.
Yes of course, one rare development for the better in the last two decades is the willingness of the powerhouses to field their in-house big guns against each other, increasing their hand but sometimes upsetting their own apple-cart, as for example when Wings Of Eagles, by a sire who had recently been downgraded to 'dual purpose', came out the clouds to beat Cliffs Of Moher.
In fact the one part of the sport that is now better than it was, is that we are long passed the height of the ridiculous hype period where there was an obsession with being involved with a colt with a near as to unbeaten record as possible.
Ironically, this at the very same time North America had recently endured a golden period full of equine superstars whose connections saw no shame in the odd defeat. All those great household names got beat now and again.
The Maktoums were not exempt from protecting some of their best. Lammtara was a cracking good top class colt but his unbeaten record did not turn him into an all time great. Similar with the molly coddling of Shareef Dancer after his explosive Curragh performance. And we never did ever get to see the Nashwan clash with Old Vic.
Ideally though, it would be immeasurably beneficial for the image of the sport if fate would deem the top cards were dealed as wide as they were during the 1970's. That however is not going to happen anytime soon.
The 1979 Derby fielded twenty five runners. Only one owner was represented by more than one runner. Tony Shead's green and black stripes and green sleeves were carried by three horses all with Barry Hills.
Steve Cauthen was aboard the surprise 2,000 Guineas hero Tap On Wood. Fellow American legend Bill Shoemaker was on the Chester Vase winner Cracaval , while Ernie Johnson was on Two Of Diamonds, sired by Blakeney who Johnson himself had partnered to win the race.
Only one trainer apart from Hills had more than a single runner. Major Hern saddled the Queen's Lingfield Derby Trial winner Milford, along with Sir Michael Sobel's Guardian Classic Trial and Predominate Stakes winner Troy.
It was originally believed that Milford was the more favoured of the two and some were surprised that Carson chose to ride Troy, with Lester picking up the ride on Milford.
Troy had been impressive at Goodwood but there was no substance to the form, although he had been one of the top juveniles so if he stayed, he was bang in there. Interesting though that the esteemed Tim Fitzgeorge-Parker ( is there a single journalist left in the sport that could command such a description now !) writing in the June edition of Pacemaker asked, " will a son of Petingo stay a true run Derby ?".
On the back of Hill's Yankee the previous year, Michael Stoute was represented by his second runner in the race with the Sir Gordon White owned Hardgreen. Henry Cecil was represented by the Dante winner Lyphard's Wish, Peter Walwyn and Pat Eddery , just four years on from Grundy, would be teaming up for the last time in the race with the Glasgow Stakes winner New Berry.
M.V. O'Brien was responsible for the long priced Accomplice, (who was linked to one of the memories of the race with that slapstick image of his jockey Yves St Martin bearing an unfurled toilet roll thrown from the crowd in the home straight), with Ireland also represented by the Curragh 2,000 Guineas winner Dicken's Hill, and Noelino who had won the race now called the Derrinstown.
In an open renewal the Guy Harwood trained Ela Mana Mou, who had been an impressive winner of the Heath Stakes, started favourite with Greville Starkey aboard. The Pulborough yard had been on a marked upward path in the past twelve months which would take it to the summit during the 1980's.
This memorable renewal, fitting for the race's double century anniversary, is all in the archives now ( and You Tube), and rarely can the form have worked out so well in the future.
But even those who like to stamp on rose tinted spectacles can hardly fail to grasp how much more absorbing the event was back in that relatively recent day with any number of trainers and owners having realistic hopes of taking the Blue Riband.
A further point, in the 1979 field twenty four different stallions were represented. Only Mount Hagen was represented by more than one runner in the shape of Dicken's Hill and Cracaval.
Massive stallion books were some way off being manageable and Northern Dancer had only the Francois Boutin trained Northern Baby to represent him. And forming a link with an age before, Michael Jarvis's Man Of Vision was sired by Lester's first Derby winner Never Say Die.
On the subject of Northern Dancer. These were the days of carefully selected stallion books where the there was difficulty in obtaining nominations. The big guns had to fight tooth and nail, often going past their original valuations to get hold of his progeny.
Going into 1979, Horses In Training listed M. V . O'Brien with seventy horses in training. Amongst the five older horses which included the Thatch colt Thatching, who would be the sprinting star of the season, there were no Northern Dancers. From the twenty six three year olds the great stallion had three representatives, and from the twenty seven two year olds, he was represented four times.
A universe away from the present scenario with a general picture of hordes of Galileo's in one corner, facing up against hordes of Dubawi's in the other.
Listen to the talk in the workplace's up and down the country. A Champion's League final, Europa League Final, the Joshua fight in Madison Square Gardens, and the Cricket World Cup, all creating a situation where the Epsom event can easily pass by unnoticed.
It's been like this for a long time now. Grand Prix practice has a bigger following than racing, and in the football is God world so to do programmes where they just sit and speak about transfer speculation and rumours.
There has been an increasing call for the Derby to be returned to it's original Wednesday slot. Problem is those supporting such a move have no clout and the mature racing fans will not be around to see it happen, if it ever does.
So we'll just have to stop moaning and try to enjoy the sport as best we can.
image June 1979 cover of Pacemaker International
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