Ryan Moore rates his ride in the £1.5m Derby race and picks out the main dangers
Ryan Moore has rated his prospects of completing a hat-trick of wins in Britain's richest race, the £1.5 million Betfred Derby on Saturday. The world-renowned jockey has won the iconic race four times including the last two editions on Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy.
As the retained jockey of the powerful Coolmore-Ballydoyle axis he has the pick of the best talent to come out of the Aidan O'Brien stable. Moore has the choice of three colts in the 19-runner Epsom Classic and while opting to partner Delacroix, he admitted there is little to choose between him and stablemates The Lion In Winter and Lambourn.
Speaking on his World Pool blog, Moore said: 'Delacroix has form with give in the ground, so should handle a bit of ease, but we don't know how much we're going to get. The closer it is to good ground, the more it will suit everyone, while soft ground means some horses will struggle in it.
'He's had a very good preparation for this, having won nicely on both his starts this season and he has plenty of experience on his side. Everything has gone very smoothly with him, we think he's in good shape and we expect him to run a big race.'
On O'Brien's other two runners, Lambourn and The Lion In Winter, Moore commented: 'Lambourn will stay well and he's an uncomplicated horse that can probably handle most types of going, while we're not sure about The Lion In Winter.
'He's never run on anything slower than good ground, but I don't see any reason why he wouldn't go on it, he's a good moving horse. At York, he was only just about ready to start back, so he should take a big step forward, and going up to a mile-and-a-half shouldn't be a problem based on his pedigree.
'There's very little to separate the three of them to be honest. They're all there to run their race and I just have to hope that it pans out well for me.'
Delacroix heads the betting from Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras and Ruling Court, the Godolphin colt who captured the 2,000 Guineas.
Moore went on: 'For me, the Guineas winner, Ruling Court, has the best form in the race. Stepping up markedly in trip does raise a big question mark, but he's by Justify out of a High Chaparral mare, so there's a chance he'll stay. If it got very wet, you wouldn't be sure if he'll handle that.
'Both of the Frankel horses for the Gosdens, Damysus and Nightwalker, look like improving for the step up in trip, while Pride Of Arras is an obvious challenger having won the Dante well and it looks like he'll stay.
'Midak is an interesting runner, having won a trial in France. The late Aga Khan has a good record in the race, and it would be fitting for him to run well with the race named in his honour this year.'
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