The Epsom Derby is a national event and should be given a stand-alone slot like the FA Cup final - not squashed into a crammed schedule, writes DOMINIC KING

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Francis-Henri Graffard is one of the world's leading trainers, devoting his life to racing. But in a quiet moment yesterday, he was simply a starstruck fan.
Standing on the finishing line, having just walked Epsom's rollercoaster course, he handed his phone to a passer-by and asked for the moment to be captured. This would be the equivalent of Virat Kohli walking into the Long Room at Lord's and requesting a photograph.
'It's the most famous winning post in the world!' Graffard explained to Mail Sport with a smile. 'I needed a good picture! My passion came from my grandfather. I was hooked. Then one day he gave me Federico Tesio's book about the Derby. That was it. It's the race.'
It really is. It's the reason racing exists — breeders have been working for 245 years to hone the perfect animal for this test and the sound of the hooves of its greatest winners, from Nijinsky to Shergar to Galileo and Sea The Stars, still thunder through the ages.
Tesio, an Italian breeder who lived from 1859 to 1954, said something so profound about the Derby that his quote adorns a wall in the Tipperary offices of Coolmore, the world-renowned bloodstock operation.
'The thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended, not on experts, technicians or zoologists, but on a piece of wood,' said Tesio. 'The winning post of the Epsom Derby.'
This is a national event, sporting theatre that should be treated with reverence. Yet, today, when Chantilly-based Graffard's runner Midak and 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court line up with 17 others, the Derby is squashed into a crammed schedule like it is betting shop fodder.
Between 3pm and 4pm, there are four other races around the country — two at Musselburgh, two at Worcester. It is an embarrassment for fixture planners and selfish racecourses that a National Hunt bumper, worth just £2,451 to the winner, will be staged 15 minutes after the Derby starts.
There is a desire to make the Derby the event it once was, when thousands lined up on Tattenham Hill, and one way to do that would be to have the common sense to make Epsom the only card of the day. No all-weather action, no pointless summer jumping — get all eyes and interest where it matters.
It is 30 years since the first seismic change was made to the Derby, shifting it from its once traditional place on a Wednesday to a Saturday, but the time has come to consider another: for one day in the summer, there should be only one card.
Think about it. You remember FA Cup finals as they were stand-alone events, why can't this be the same? Watching Ryan Moore, the world's best jockey, possibly light up Epsom on favourite Delacroix will stay in your mind — you would forget the winner of the Worcester bumper before the day is out.
Something must be done. Brian Finch, Epsom's impressive chairman, is determined to put sheen back on this fixture — and listening to the passion with which Graffard spoke underlined why the Derby still holds wonder.
'When I worked in England (for Sheik Mohammed's Darley Operation), I came here to walk around Epsom,' said Graffard. 'It was so impressive! A horse needs so many qualities to be competitive in this race. As a trainer, it is a privilege to be able to send a horse to contest it.'
Midak, for the record, was supplemented to the Derby field at a cost of £75,000. He will carry the fabled green silks of the late Aga Khan, in whose memory this year's race will be run.
'My horse has everything to prove,' he said. 'He was late maturing, mentally and physically, but he comes here spot on. Let's see what happens.'