The call for meddling with the set in stone, unbroken classic schedule does the rounds every so often. It usually comes in the form of a suggestion to delay the dates of the first four, but the latest proffering, from Richard Hoiles, is that consideration should be given to staging the Derby in July.
Hoiles is of the opinion that if a two month gap existed between Newmarket and Epsom, it would allow the public time to digest what had occurred in the Guineas and to take in the build up to Epsom, familiarising themselves with the main players as the shape of the race becomes clearer through further trials - though he's not touched upon whether a 2,000 Guineas winner with a strong chance of staying the trip at Epsom would stay off the track for two months between races, or would he be expected to run at Royal Ascot, and if so, would the race planners advise the upgrading in status of the ten furlong Hampton Court or the King Edward, which has a purpose for the Derby also rans along with those who were not ready for Epsom.
One only needs to think about the scenario for a couple of minutes to realise that multiple conundrums will sprout up from nowhere. And what too of the Irish Derby - there is no doubt that as opposed to the two races complementing one another, which they have done for many decades now, they will instead become fierce rivals, and both will end up the poorer.
What of those winners of the Epsom race in the past who possessed towering physiques that had many doubting that they'd act around Epsom. Golden Fleece a fine example, Barney Curley being so convinced that the Nijinsky colt would be all at sea on the helter skelter gradients that he backed every over animal in the race with half a chance, taking such a financial hammering that he went on a sabbatical for a few months. Despite the M V O'Brien/ Sangster/Magnier love affair with Epsom you have to wonder that if at the time it was the choice of one race or the other, they would have plumped for the Curragh.
And as for the public familiarising themselves with the Derby prospects - well, we are in 2021 when the sport has a lower profile than ever before. The general public don't watch the Derby in the same numbers as they do the Grand National In Name Only Chase, and don't tune into Royal Ascot as they would the Cheltenham Festival.
And as alluded to by some voices within the sport, a July Derby will take the buzz away created by many unknowns going into the race as by that time some of the contenders who would have been leading fancies may have had their stamina exposed and would not be in the line up.
Whenever asked how the Epsom Derby and Prix de l' Arc de Triomphe relate to one another, the Aga Khan believes validly that the Derby discovers the animal, and the Longchamp event confirms whether they are outstanding. Of course, you could bring the other big all age events into the equation with the King George once a means of confirming how the leader of the middle distance three year old generation stands with the elders and while this year it is encouraging that the Epsom hero is an intended runner at Ascot, we can only hope that the older generation are truly represented too.
All the big, celebrated events go through phases during which you get a succession of victors below, or barely hitting average for the race, then a couple of outstanding performers may crop up in a short period of time. We are on a poor run of Derby winners at the moment but who knows whether Adayer will be the the animal that stands out from the last few winners - the form is already looking solid.
You can’t go praising the existence of the race when the three years roll of honour reads, Nijinsky, Mill Reef and Roberto, or Sinndar, Galileo, High Chaparral, but when the race goes through a spell where the winners are not going on to threaten to top the rankings in the middle distance sphere, suddenly call for changes to the race, time wise or distance wise, which others have done.
Truly outstanding racehorses are a rarity. Of the Epsom winners in the past decade Camelot, Australia and Golden Horn were all well above average, and fitting winners of the event. In their second career as stallions Camelot has been decent, but no more given his opportunities. Australia had been middling given his opportunities and it would appear with both that any of their sons going to stud are not going to stir the big flat breeders with much anticipation. Early signs are that Golden Horn will be a great disappointment as a sire and faith will already be waning.
Returning to merit on the racecourse - well, Sea The Stars (pictured) in 2009 was the last truly outstanding ( using the word in the sense of pure proven racecourse ability) Derby winner. You could make out a strong argument that he he was the best Derby winner since Generous in 1991 - or you could even look at the Derby winners that have hit the Timeform 140 rating during their careers. Sea The Stars received an end of year 140, the first winner of the Blue Riband to do so since Shergar in 1981, who likewise received the same rating.You have to go back to Mill Reef in 1971 with a 141 to find the previous animal to hit this magical benchmark. It would actually not be unrealistic to make a claim that Sea The Stars was the best Derby winner since Mill Reef. The case would be a strong one.
Thankfully Sea The Stars is an established first rate sire though it is a pity and a sign of the times that his highest rated son so far, Crystal Ocean, has started his stallion career with that insulting 'dual purpose' tag, meaning that the flat breeders were not sufficiently interested.
However, hope is not yet lost for the former John Oxx inmate to make an impact in future pedigrees through his sons on the flat as just days ago, a certain Baeed stamped himself as a high class miler with unlimited potential who could even end the season as the best three year old colt in training. No can deny how exciting he is and if he lives up to expectations he would without doubt be a son of Sea The Stars who the top level flat breeders would want a piece of.
On the subject of how the event presently sits as a maker of the breed. It would be daft to be over nostalgic and pretend that the status of the race is the same as 100 years back. We have to live with the consequences of the global expansion of racing, international competition, and to accept that for a long time now the Kentucky Derby has been viewed as the Holy Grail of the sport, which has been one of the influences for the desire for breeders to want Epsom Derby winners to be able to have produced optimum form over a mile or a mile and a quarter.
But truth be told it's not so black and white. The just passed away Galileo, a well above average and visually impressive Derby and Irish Derby winner who then followed up with a battling success in the King George, was not on weights and measures form a truly outstanding performer on the track. He was able to produce a top class performance in defeat over ten furlongs but his optimum was the full twelve furlongs. His phenomenal record in his second career could not have been envisaged - once Sadler's Wells is gone, there will be no like for like replacement, was a sensible line of prediction.
At the end of the day the Epsom Derby ain't broken and who knows, from a run of recent below par runnings we may have an also ran who will contribute to the breed. I've seen one running live, it unfortunately being the year Quest For Fame triumphed, one of the worst winners of the event since WW2, and sandwiched between two terrific winners in Nashwan and Generous.
However, there was an Andre Fabre trained also ran by the name of Linamix who has gone on to establish his name in the pedigrees of many successful performers. Ironically, it was Fabre who was questioning whether the race remains a significant breed shaping event just prior to Galileo taking the stallion world by storm.
It's often when the stones start getting thrown that the persercutors are made to look fools and those who in the case of the Derby want the the date in the calendar, the distance, or both, to be 'discussed' are in effect throwing stones and it would be fitting if the race produced a cluster of well above average winners over the next few years.
The sport as it stands is struggling like never before, it's popularity diminishing. Gambling with unnecessary changes to an event what has contributed so much to horse racing's existence is something that should never be open for discussion.
image -photo taken by author
This from a live album from a concert that took place a month before Persain War won his third Champion Hurdle, L'Escargot his first Gold Cup, and at a time when Nijinsky would be the talked about horse with the flat season in mind - and when any mention of meddling with the Derby would be considered sacrilege.
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