looking forward to the derby.

​People, mainly jockeys and trainers, it has to be said, continue to enthusiastically make the claim that the Epsom Derby is the greatest horse race in the world. I disagree, though it undoubtedly is one of the most famous. I suspect the same claim is made for the Melbourne Cup and the Kentucky Derby. 
The Epsom Derby has lost its panache, its place in the collective mindset of the population. There was a time when Parliament would recess so that politicians so inclined could get to Epsom before the off and the hoi polloi of London would set off for Epsom by any means of transport they could find, including shanks’ pony. There are many reasons for the demise of the race in the eyes of the public and it is not entirely due to a dip in the popularity of the sport, after all, Royal Ascot and the Grand National continue to have appeal, even if, again, it is not what it once was.
I have enthused about horse racing for the past sixty-years and in my formative years anticipation of the Derby was on a par with the Grand National, more so, I suspect, than the Cheltenham Festival. But back in those days, even when there were short-priced favourites, there would be over twenty runners, with many small stables involved, even if they were mostly outsiders that inevitably got in the way coming down Tattenham Hill, and always horses from France. Always.
Nowadays if Aidan O’Brien were to only run one horse and not the battalion that is his custom, the field could easily be less than 10, with no French raider, as seems like will be the case this season. And nowadays obvious Derby contenders, or seemingly obvious contenders, might be tempted away to the French Derby or kept for the Royal meeting as if the Derby is no longer the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It is now the 16th of May, with the race a little over 3-weeks away and yet the ante-post market is speculative due to not knowing which horses Aidan O’Brien will run and how many. And there remains an asterisk against more than one runner, with decisions as to whether to run undecided until a few days before the race. Compare that to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Any top-class 3-mile chaser will be aimed at Cheltenham and as long as it is fit and well it will be in the line-up come the Friday of the meeting. It is the aim all season. Since the inception of the Ryanair the ground has become a factor in the decision whether to run or not but in the main the Cheltenham Gold Cup has not lost one iota of its kudos.
The Derby on the other hand is fast becoming just a stop along a journey to the breeding shed. There is positively no romance anymore in the Derby. Commercialism is king; flat racing is a global business, an investment on a par with the art market, the sporting element existing as an add-on.
High Definition was favourite ante-post for the past part of eight-months, yet after one run there is now a question mark over his participation, with the Irish Derby seen as a more favourable race for him due to his action. Of course, his action, the ganglyness of his frame, has not changed over the winter. If he was seen as the best bet for the Derby in October last year and April this year, why wouldn’t he cope with the undulation of the Epsom course in June? Aidan O’Brien is known for pulling rabbits out of hats and it is perfectly possible High Definition could yet line-up at Epsom with Ryan Moore on his back, with Bolshoi Ballet as the second string. High Definition may ‘come forward’, as Aidan always tells us when one of his horses is in need of a run to bring it to full fitness and proceed to win by ten-lengths with Bolshoi Ballet falling down the hill and finishing last. It is a horse race, after all. I hope not.
I’ll be honest; I get bored with Coolmore winning the Derby year after year. It is even no longer a novelty when one of their fourth or fifth strings wins the race, as was the case last year. I don’t expect it to happen as the horse looks immature for such a test but I would like John Leeper to win for Ed Dunlop as there is an element of romance involved and it would be a step forward for the race if a new name could appear on the honour roll. 
But to return to why there is a dip in the popularity of the Epsom Derby. Even if the public knew the names of any of the likely runners in the race, as of today does anyone know what the composition of this year’s race might look like? How can anyone outside of the racing pundit or anyone with an ante-post ticket have a fancy for the race when there is only a vague notion of what horses will run?