Derby day appointment for Carr's hero

A revelation since joining North Yorkshire trainer Ruth Carr, his last two outings have seen the eight-year-old pick up nearly £150,000 in prize-money.

He won the All-Weather Mile Final on Good Friday and then produced a career best to land the Group Two Sandown Mile.

“We’re going to take him down to Epsom on Derby day for the Group Three over an extended mile,” said Carr. “He’ll have a 5lb penalty for his Group Three, but he’ll take his chance.

“I wasn’t really tempted by a Group One and I like the idea of keeping his confidence high.

“Hopefully the ground won’t be too fast, but I’m sure they won’t let it get like that for the Derby.”

Meanwhile the Godolphin-owned Frontiersman, a possible Melbourne Cup contender, remains on track for York’s Grand Cup Stakes this Saturday.

The four-year-old got his 2017 campaign off to the best possible start with victory in a competitive handicap at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting.

Trainer Charlie Appleby said: “He has come out of his win at Newmarket well and the plan at this stage is to run at York.

“We see the race as a bit of a fact-finding mission as we are stepping up in trip to a mile and three-quarters and we are hoping that this might open doors for him in the future.

“He is a beautifully bred horse – I couldn’t be happier with him and I feel that he has got this level in him.

“As I said before, this race will, all being well, show us whether he is a horse to campaign in pattern mile and a half races or make up into a ‘Cup’ performer.”

So Mi Dar is an odds-on favourite to make a winning return to action in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown tonight.

John Gosden’s filly, the mount of Frankie Dettori, was favourite for the Oaks last year after an easy win in the Musidora at York but injury prevented her from lining up in the Classic.

She managed to return in time to test herself in Group One company in the Prix de l’Opera in October but she met with a first defeat when narrowly beaten by Speedy Boarding.

The daughter of top-class mare Dar Re Mi, also trained by Gosden, had been due to return in the Middleton Stakes at York last week but heavy rain forced the handler handler into a rethink and she now finds herself taking on the boys first time out.

Gosden said: “I’m not frightened of good to soft, but she’s an exuberant filly and I just didn’t want her first run of the year to be in testing conditions.”