for whoever is interested - the derby.

​As with horse racing in general, both in Britain and Ireland, sadly, the Epsom Derby is no longer as fashionable or popular as in days gone by and Tom Sammes, the general manager of Epsom, has set himself the almighty task of doing something about it. Epsom and the Derby, I mean, not sorting out all of horse racing’s problems as that would need twenty Tom Sammes plus someone with experience of manifesting miracles.
Although no one will acknowledge the fact, the decline of the Epsom Derby began when the race was removed from its traditional date in the calendar, the first Wednesday in June, and given a Saturday slot to, as was said at the time, to boost betting turnover. Doing what the betting companies has wanted has not served racing well, I believe.
The grand old days when Parliament would adjourn early to allow ministers to attend the Derby in time to greet the monarch at the racecourse are sadly no more. In these wokish times a Prime Minister who owned even a share in a racehorse would suffer almighty abuse on social media, to the point when it would be considered a vote loser at the ballot-box. And running the race on a Wednesday allowed the hoi-polloi the excuse for an unsanctioned day off work and the masses would procure any form of transport, including shank’s pony, to attend all the fun of the fair on the Downs. The Epsom Derby of then is not the Epsom Derby of now.
Another reason why the Derby no longer attracts the attention of the wider public is the ever-increasing lack of competitive feel about the race. It is not that long ago there would be enough runners to have office sweepstakes on the race, as still happens, to a lesser degree than in the past, I admit, with the Grand National. Ten-runner races do not excite the public, especially when there is a hot favourite, as there is most years, if not this year. No would have raised an eyebrow at 25-runners at the height of its fame, even with the element of lottery that entailed with front-running long-shots falling back and hindering the better-fancied runners vying for a good position coming round Tattenham Corner.
And as with Willie Mullins domination of jumps racing, the domination at Epsom by the powerful stables of O’Brien and to a lesser extent the established power-houses of Cecil, Stoute and more recently Godolphin, the romance of the Derby has seeped away. Unlike the Melbourne Cup, a race that used to and continues to do so to lesser effect, stop a nation, the Epsom Derby is not a peoples’ race. The dress code is too stuffy, the race too associated with royalty and increasingly by foreign dignitaries of fabulous wealth and associated aloofness.
To reignite the appeal of the Epsom Derby Tom Sammes must give the race back to the people, local people, the people of London and racing people. It should not be packaged as a corporate event or a rehearsal for Royal Ascot. Remove it from the social calendar and play every trick in the book to attract 20-runners every year. The Epsom Derby has lost its parochial razzmatazz and removed from its historical past. The Derby is meant to be a test of the racehorse and rider. The course is quirky and unique. It is the racecourse itself that sets the Derby apart. People should just shut-up about how hard a race it is and talk about the great horses that won round there, with the Derby winner usually the best horse in the race and the season. Owners and trainers should stop moaning and finding excuses not to run, mainly based on protecting future stallion returns, and get on with supporting the race. Use it or lose it.

It continues to rankle with me that journalists will make the argument that the owner pays the bills and he or she can do as they please. I believe it is shameful that Callum Shepherd has lost the ride on Ambiente Friendly given he has done no wrong on the horse. It is especially wrong that the jockey they have replaced him with, as good and popular as Rab Havlin is, has a worst record around Epsom than the man he replaces. Callum Shepherd has 25% strike-rate at Epsom, bettered only, I believe, by William Buick.
I suggest, as I predicted, that the Gredleys have been in contact with Frankie Dettori, perhaps offered him the ride, which he had to turn down because of contractual obligations and he has then suggested his best mate Havlin for the ride. Whatever the circumstance, it is a sad state of affairs and the Gredleys should be ashamed of their lack of loyalty to a young jockey on the up and I only hope their decision comes back to bite them on the backside. As much as I would like to see James Fanshawe win a classic, on this occasion I hope it slips by him.
With the ground likely to be soft, I am favouring Ancient Wisdom at the moment, though on the day I might change my mind. Treasure is my idea of the Oaks winner.