Hats off to Her Majesty

THE DERBY
My race verdict — by Chronicle racing correspondent

IT will be hats off all round should Her Majesty The Queen’s Carlton House do the business in tomorrow’s Investec Derby.

To my mind, Carlton House is clearly the best colt in tomorrow’s line-up.

But a minor leg injury, diagnosed early this week, casts a huge cloud over his participation and his ability to perform to his very best.

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute has been biting his nails all week as he has tried to calm down the minor injury threatening Carlton House’s place in the line-up.

There is no better man to achieve this feat and, although it takes a giant leap of faith to select a horse with a problem in the build-up to such a demanding race, I can’t desert Carlton House at this stage.

Quite simply, I would not expect Stoute to send out his horse if it were unable to do itself justice, particularly with his illustrious owner watching from the stands.

And if the recent Dante Stakes winner is somewhere near to his best, I expect him to demolish a sub-standard field headed by two Aidan O’Brien rivals whose limitations have already been exposed.

Recital is the subject of bullish reports from jockey Kieren Fallon and there is no doubt that he is a talented colt.

But he hung badly right up the straight at Leopardstown on his last start and a repeat of those antics on the Epsom camber would be costly in the extreme.

Some good judges have been writing up Seville to turn York tables on Carlton House, but I just can’t see that.

O’Brien’s horse got first run on Carlton House, yet was mown down easily by a colt with less experience.

That said, I expect the two O’Brien colts to fill the places behind Carlton House, with French raider Vadamar the best outsider.


FINISHING ORDER
1, Carlton House (nap)

2, Recital

3, Seville

Best outsider:

Vadamar