Newmarket trainer John Gosden’s phenomenal start to the season continued at Epsom Downs on Wednesday after Investec Derby hope Cracksman kept his dream for Britain’s premier classic alive with a narrow short-head success in the Group Three Investec Derby Trial.
Run over 10 furlongs, the Frankel colt settled behind the leaders early on in the contest and was short for room in the home straight with the race-fit and battle hardened Permian, trained by Mark Johnston getting first run.
However, ridden by Frankie Dettori, Cracksman stayed on resolutely in the closing stages to score by a narrow margin but quite comfortably in the end.
Bookmakers reacted by generally shortening the imposing three-year-old to a general 10/1 shot for the Group One Investec Derby over a mile and a half.
The victory continued Gosden’s phenomenal record in the race, with this being his and Dettori’s third consecutive victory in the contest.
Cracksman is owned by Anthony Oppenheimer, whose Golden Horn also represented these connections when scoring in the 2015 Investec Derby.
Gosden was delighted with the performance and feels there is a lot more improvement to come.
He also suggested that the colt will head to either York or Chester for another Derby Trial, in a bid to garner more experience.
Gosden said:
They went no pace and he was truly shut in and couldn’t get out. I was delighted how he picked up. I did say to the owner before this horse is pretty laid-back and very inexperienced on the track.
I think more pace he would have won easier. I like the fact he finished strong. The talk about Frankels being over-exuberant, this guy is so laid-back. I’m very pleased with him and he will come on a bundle for it. We will go for another run. Whether it is Chester or York, we will see how he comes out of the race.
Mark Johnston also looks to have a nice prospect in his hands with Galpiat who maintained his unbeaten record with a decisive victory in the Investec City and Suburban Handicap. Ridden by Franny Norton, the regally bred son of Galileo set the tempo throughout the mile and a quarter event and quickened away in taking fashion in the home straight to win well.
The four-year-old is entered in the Group One Coronation Cup at Epsom in June and he was trimmed to a general 25/1 shot from 66s for that event.
Middleham trainer Johnston said:
When the handicapper put him up 11lb for his win at Leicester I thought that was perfectly fair at the time. He has Group-race entries but I still thought when you look at the ratings he was 10lb out of that so we thought he can have a stepping stone before he does that.
Kirsten Rausing (owner) would have jumped up into a Group race but the fact that this was at Epsom and he has got a Group One entry here I managed to persuade her to come here.
