‘I don't think there's any negative and he's impressed me the most' – Frankie Dettori's Derby tip
IF you want to find the winner of the Derby then you could do a lot worse than ask two-time winner Frankie Dettori.
The world's most famous jockey ended his agonising wait to win it in 2007 with Authorized.
1
And he crowned himself King of Epsom one more time in 2015 aboard the awesome Golden Horn.
No one knows the undulations of the Downs better than Frankie - or what it takes to win on it.
And one horse in particular this season has impressed him above all others.
Asked who he would back in the £1.5million contest, Dettori went against old employers Godolphin and John Gosden.
And instead plumped for a British trainer to keep his awesome big race-winning run going.
Ralph Beckett won the Arc de Triomphe last year with wondermare Bluestocking.
Dettori - who recently issued a big career update amid his bankruptcy storm - reckons he can scoop the British equivalent this year with Dante winner Pride Of Arras.
The iconic jockey told Stake: "Pride Of Arras won in the style of a Derby winner in the Dante.
"The only thing that might muddle him is the size of the field.
"It is close to a maximum field and he's only run twice, so it won't be easy.
"He'll have to manage his way through the traffic. He does have a good cruising speed, though, and a good turn of foot.
"He's the one which has impressed me the most in the Derby trials.
"It's just the lack of experience which disadvantages him. It's very hard to win this race on only your third start, so that's the one thing which puts me off a bit.
"Ruling Court is a serious horse. What he showed in the Guineas was very impressive, but it's that massive question mark, will he get a mile and a half?
"We know that a mile and quarter is within his reach because he hit the line very strongly at Newmarket, but this is another two furlongs.
"He's an amazing, talented horse, but he's got a massive question mark to me.
"Damysus looks a very solid horse, but to me Pride Of Arras was much better than him in the Dante and we expect him to improve a bit here, so the gap is looking a bit too far to bridge to me.
"Pride Of Arras would be the one I'd put my fiver on.
"It's a very exciting race and it is wide open. We've already made a case for a good number of them, and it's very interesting."
Dettori also had strong word for Ryan Moore's mount Delacroix.
However, his draw in 14 has sparked a market drift as money comes for 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court instead.
Betfred have the two joint-favourites, while Ladbrokes continue to cut Charlie Appleby's Godolphin colt.
The firm's Alex Apati said: "We could be on course for a significant shake-up in the Derby betting over the next few days.
"Despite Ryan Moore being on board the favourite, punters' recent interest is seemingly elsewhere.
"We may well be looking at a new frontrunner in the field come Saturday afternoon."
.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK unemployment rises to highest level in nearly four years
Unemployment in the UK rose in April to the highest level in almost four years, official figures showed, as tax increases introduced by Rachel Reeves added to a broader slowdown in the jobs market. In a blow for the chancellor before Wednesday's spending review, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate increased to 4.6% in the three months to the end of April, up from 4.5% on the previous three-month period to hit the highest level since summer 2021. Annual growth in regular wages also slowed to 5.2%, below City economists forecasts for a reading of 5.3%. Liz McKeown, the ONS director of economic statistics, said: 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on. 'Earnings growth has slowed in both cash and real terms, though it remains strong by historic standards. Public sector pay is now growing at a higher rate than wages in the private sector.' Unemployment is measured using the ONS's widely criticised labour force survey, which has suffered from collapsing response rates. Experts have argued this leaves policymakers 'flying blind', with the prospect that decisions are being taken based on flawed data. However, separate figures showed the number of workers on UK company payrolls collapsed at the fastest rate since the height of the Covid pandemic, with a monthly drop of 109,000 in May. Vacancies also fell by 63,000 over the three months to the end of May. The latest figures give the first indication of the impact of April's £25bn rise in employer national insurance contributions (NICs), affecting almost 1m businesses, as well as a 6.7% rise in the national living wage. Suren Thiru, the economics director at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, said: 'These figures suggest that the UK's jobs market took a damaging hit from 'Awful April', with the tough reality of sharply rising NICs and national living wage costs pushing more employers to cut staff. 'The UK's labour market is in a painful period with eye-wateringly high business costs likely to mean more job losses this year, particularly if the spending review increases the odds of more tax hikes in the autumn budget.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Businesses in typically lower-paying sectors, including hospitality, leisure and retail, had warned jobs could be hit. It comes as the Bank of England monitors the jobs market for signs of weaker conditions as policymakers consider whether to cut interest rates further after four earlier reductions in borrowing costs to 4.25%. Threadneedle Street is widely expected to keep rates on hold next week amid heightened uncertainty over the impact of Donald Trump's increasingly erratic trade wars on the world economy. Alison McGovern, the employment minister, said the government was putting in place more help for jobseekers. 'Supporting more people into work and putting more money in the pockets of working people is at the heart of our plan for change,' she said.
BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Colin Flatt: Footballer's daughter frustrated by inquest delay
The daughter of a former professional footballer, who died in 2021, said she was "very disappointed" that an inquest into his death had been adjourned for a further 14 Flatt - who played for Southend United, Leyton Orient and Barnet in the 1960s and 70s - died in September 2021, aged eight-day inquest into his death commenced on 9 June, but assistant coroner Tina Harrington ruled that, for legal reasons, it should be heard in front of a jury, with the soonest available date being August Taylor, daughter of Mr Flatt, told Essex Coroner's Court that "words fail me" after the adjournment was announced. 'Reluctant' decision Mr Flatt was described as "forever a Shrimper" in a tribute from the Southend United Ex-Players Association, which said that he scored eight goals in 24 appearances during the 1966-67 also walked out at Wembley in the FA Trophy for Barnet in 1972, and played for other clubs including Taylor expressed her frustration as the inquest into her father's death was delayed for more than a the assistant coroner, she asked: "Is the jury going to make a difference? I don't know. Will the outcome be different to what you would have ruled? I don't know.""It was a delay which could have been avoided."Ms Harrington told Mrs Taylor, "I can only apologise", adding that her decision to adjourn had been a "reluctant" one. Mr Flatt's partner of 20 years, Melanie Leahy, has been one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Lampard Inquiry into more than 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex between 2000 and 2012, Ms Leahy's son Matthew, 20, died while he was under the care of NHS mental health services in the inquest into Mr Flatt's death is set to resume on 17 August 2026. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Unemployment rate surges to highest since 2021 as wage growth eases sharply
Britain 's unemployment rate has hit its highest level in almost four years, according to official figures, while wage growth has eased more than anticipated as employers grapple with rising staff costs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that average regular earnings, excluding bonuses, fell to 5.2 per cent in the three months to April, a sharp decrease from 5.5 per cent in the previous three months. This is the lowest rate since the third quarter of last year. Although wage growth continues to outpace inflation, up by 2.1 per cent with Consumer Prices Index inflation taken into account, the figure fell short of expectations, with most experts having predicted a decrease to 5.3 per cent. The rate of unemployment also jumped to 4.6 per cent in the three months to April, up from 4.5 per cent in the three months to March and the highest level since the three months to July 2021. The figures also showed vacancies tumbled by 63,000 to 736,000 in the three months to May, while payroll data revealed the biggest drop for five years last month, down 109,000 to 30.2 million. It coincided with firms facing a hike in national insurance contributions in April, which had been announced in October's budget. Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. 'Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on.'
