Hopes high that Dante winner Desert Crown can end Sir Michael Stoute’s Derby drought

Memories of great days in Epsom history will come flooding back when Desert Crown bids to give Sir Michael Stoute his sixth victory in the Cazoo Derby.

Stoute first won the premier Classic – which is this year being run in memory of Lester Piggott – with the legendary Shergar in 1981 and in the 41 years since has added a further four Epsom victories thanks to Shahrastani (1986), Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004) and Workforce (2010).

Now into his 50th year in the training ranks, the Barbadian has the chance to end a 12-year barren spell in the Classics since Workforce’s Epsom triumph.

Desert Crown caught the eye by taking a five-and-a-half-length victory on debut at Nottingham last November and defied an interrupted spring when impressing in the Dante Stakes on just his second start at York.

That catapulted the son of Nathaniel to the head of the Derby betting where he will be bidding to become the eleventh Dante-Derby winner.

He will be partnered at Epsom by Richard Kingscote, who is having just his second ride in the 12-furlong Classic.

“Desert Crown is workmanlike. He is not spectacular at home. This fella has a very good mind and is a very relaxed horse, and he’s done nothing wrong on the racecourse – in fact, he’s done rather well,” said Stoute.

“He is probably the most inexperienced horse we have sent to the Derby, because he has only had two starts and I think they all had more than two.

“But York was a pleasing performance and a good, solid time. He does not have to improve much. If you win the Dante, you don’t have to improve too much more to win the Derby.”

Stone Age leads a three-strong team for Aidan O’Brien into battle as the Ballydoyle handler chases a ninth victory in the Cazoo Derby at Epsom.

O’Brien, looking for an Oaks-Derby double after Tuesday’s dramatic win yesterday, is hopeful the step up to a mile and a half will prove within the three-year-old’s compass.

He said: “Stone Age is in in good form and everything has gone well since the last day.

“Obviously a mile and a quarter is as far as he’s gone, but we’ve always thought he’d be OK over a mile and a half. Obviously you’re never sure until you try.”

Stone Age is joined by two other Derby trial winners in Changingoftheguard and Star Of India, who both staked their claims at Chester.

Charlie Appleby has won two of the last four Derbys with Masar in 2018 and Adayar last season and like O’Brien launches a three-pronged assault.

William Buick has sided with Nations Pride, who was supplemented on Monday at a cost of £75,000. James Doyle rides Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up Walk Of Stars, while last year’s Derby-winning jockey Adam Kirby is on board Nahanni.

Yorkshire hopes rest with outsider Royal Patronage for Middleham’s Charlie and Mark Johnston.

Jason Hart takes the ride on the course winner, who finished second to Desert Crown in the Dante and completed a hat-trick of wins last summer, including the British Stallion Studs EBF Restricted Novice Stakes at Epsom, York’s Acomb Stakes and Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket.

Adrian Nicholls is hopeful Tees Spirit can continue on his upward curve and maintain the family’s fine record in Saturday’s Simpex Express ‘Dash’ at Epsom.

The Thirsk handler is no stranger to success in the five-furlong handicap, having scored aboard Rudi’s Pet in 2002 for his late father, Dandy Nicholls, who won the race five times between 1997 and 2009.

Tees Spirit has won both his starts this term . Nicholls said: “Like most of those races, when dad wasn’t winning it, he was finishing second.

“It was a race, a bit like the Ayr Gold Cup, that if you won on something, you knew exactly where you’d be going. “He has come on and seems to have improved.”