09:04 Good morning from Epsom Downs on Investec Derby day. Another gloriously sunny day and even this early the place is buzzing.

We have one non-runner so far, Run For Ede’s is out of the Surefoot Stakes having not eaten up.

We have a going change where it is now Good to Firm.

Our suggestions are:-

09:17 This year we have a new Derby trophy and this is the nearest I will ever get to it.

10:34 For some stupid reason I have just walked the entire length of the Derby course, the winning horse will get round in about 2½ minutes – it took me almost 30.

And I can vouch for the fact the sun is very strong.

The course looks innocuous standing by the 1½ mile start but it gives no indication of what lies ahead and the view the riders have coming out of the stalls is deceptive.

The field will be running uphill for the first five furlongs, a deceptive rise but it is stamina sapping. For the first two and a half furlongs the ground is definitely veering towards good to firm. You can see where the horses ran yesterday but, unlike last year for example, there are  no real divots.

From just after the 10f start to the mile marker the ground definitely eased towards good. There are clear imprints in the ground from yesterdays races.

By the 7f marker the climb is easing off and they begin a gentle sweep to their left and a chance to get a breather.

Six furlongs and halfway, if the riders have a chance to glance to their left they will see the stands in the distance and the mass of humanity on the course.

The section of the track between the 6f and 5f pole is also the firmest part of the course, with virtually no give. I should also mention that from the 6f marker to home there is a 6 yard strip of fresh ground against the inside rail. Although at this point it is hard to differentiate the fresh ground from the ground that was used yesterday.

Coming round Tattenham Corner there is another patch of ground which seems to be more on the good side and groundstaff are filling in divots after yesterdays racing.

Back in the home straight and the ground is definitely veering towards good again. The strip used yesterday has few divots, just some “bruising” on the turf.

The camber will throw the runners towards the inside rail and if he is looking ahead the winning rider will see the famous Epsom winning post..        

10:54 We now have four non-runners, all in the 16:45.

11:07 There are many vantage points from which to view the racing.

11:27 Still over two hours to the opening race and looking at the big race the two contenders being mentioned most of all in the press room are Rewilding and the horse Fallon would have chosen had he been given a choice Midas Touch.

The atmosphere is wonderful.

11:38 One of the great aspects of Derby Day is you meet people who you see every day in an entirely different environment.

I have just seen our reserve commentator today (no I didn't know we had a reserve commentator either), Lee McKenzie, and race reader Darren Owen both looking very dapper (and presumably very hot) in their top hat and tails.

11:41 I have the going stick readings now.

There is a difference in the home straight, with the stands side being 8.9 and the inside being 8.4.

The Derby Course is averaging out at 8.6

11:56 Of course as well as the sartorial elegance there are also those who let the side down and I have just spied Luke Harvey strolling round in t-shirt and shorts, nor a pretty sight but probably very practical.

12:17 All the money seems to be coming for Rewilding, now into as low as 5/1 in places, although aftef yesterdays good day at the office there has been each way support for Kieren Fallon’s mount Al Zir, 20/1 into 14/1.

Going the other way is Midas Touch 7/1 from 11/2, workforce 6’s from 5’s and, most notably, Jan Vermeer 11/4 from 2/1.  

Elsewhere Hawkeyethenoo is attracting some support (9/2 from 6/1) in the Dash.

Some decent money for Premier Clarets in the Woodcote has seen his price come into 6/1 from 10/1.

12:33 Time to refuel  - it is so hot I, along with almost everyone else here, have opted for the salad option. The hot option of poached lemon chicken would normally be a no brainer, but in this sweltering heat no thanks.

More worryingly we seem to have run out of bottled water in here, which is not a good sign, I have already got through four bottles this morning.

12:58 Not long now, The Queen has arrived - I bet there is plenty of water and  no beetles in the Royal Box.

The National Anthem was sung by 21-year-old Camilla Kerslake. Perhaps I shouldn't say this but she was standing next to me waiting for The Queen to arrive and just before joing onto the track to perform she kicked off her shoes saying, "I hav eto get these things off" - lucky she was wearing a long dress.

13:12 OK down to the reason why we are here and the racing.

Our opening contest is the Investec Vincent O’Brien Handicap over 10 furlongs.

Named after the original master of Ballydoyle who passed away days before last year’s Derby, he trained no fewer than six Derby winners.

I was about to say we have 13 runners in the opener but news has just come through that Kingdom Of Munster has been withderawn.

13:14 Kingdom Of Munster is out due to a bout of colic.

13:24 The runners are in the parade ring for the opener.

All are getting warm but that is understandable in the conditions.

Our Joe Mac is slightly on his toes, Power Series has two handlers and is pulling hard, Paintball is swishing his tail and Life and Soul is warmer than most and pulling.

13:57 On a day when the top owners are to the fore it was good to see the opener going to a horse owned by the most well known everyman syndicate, as Dandino completes a three timer with his trademark late run.

Fine Sight set the pace, albeit a moderate one, with Life And Soul, Constant Contact and Our Joe Mac  following.

The favourite Verdant was settled in the next group.

Five out the field were pretty well strung out but that all changed as they swung for home and the field came back together.

Yesterday Ryan Moore managed to thread a needle on board Snow Fairy in the Oaks. Today was the Yang to yesterdays Ying as he was unable to get a clear run on Verdant.

Instead it was Dandino, quietly settled nearer last than first in the early exchanges, who got the clear run as Paul Mulrennan came off the rail and accelerated clear in the final furlong.

Life And Soul who had been in the van throughout did well to stay on for second and by the time Moore found daylight on the favourite it was too late, although he was closing at the end.

It was a rough race and the stewards are taking a look, but the result is OK.

14:07 Race two is our first six furlong contest of the meeting, the Investec Woodcote Stakes with nine two year olds competing.

A good field, with Foghorn Leghorn the only maiden in the field.

A nightmare to predict the winner with most open to improvement.

Casual Glimpse was taken down steadily, whilst Singapore Lilly was keen to post.

14:27 Epsom is something of a unique course in terms of configuration and it is a stone bog certainty these juveniles would have seen nothing like it before.

Once they settled down it was Where’s Romeo who set the pace , this after High Award and, even more so, Premier Clarets, showed a distinct dislike for the downhill turn.

Once on the straight things settled down and Johnny Murtagh sent High Award to the front and how impressive he was.

Pulling clear and never looking in any danger of being headed.

There was a good battle for second place with Dubawi Gold just getting the better of Premier Clarets.

Approve was running on well in the closing stages to take fourth spot.

Casual Glimpse was fifth and was unsuited by the camber.  

14:30 Time for the girls next with the extended mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by Investec), with nine fillies facing the starter.

14:35 First City was pulling quite hard going to the start and Reggane took a keen hold.

Aspectoflove went down steadily.

Absolute pick on looks was Antara and the only doubt about her may be the ground.

14:56 A cracking heat, in which Antara, under Frankie Dettori took the spoils, although he was arguably a lucky winner as the fast-closing runner-up Reggane could have been given a better ride by Gerald Mosse.

Penny’s Gift set off in front, with Jira tracking. Frankie Dettori settled Antara in third spot. Reggane was settled in sixth spot in the early exchanges.

Penny’s Gift was soon in reverse, leaving Please Sing, under substitute rider Alan Munro (apparently Kieren Fallon has not arrived at the course and nobody knows where he is – let’s hope he hasn’t gone to Lingfield by mistake) in front, with Jira still in second.

Two out Frankie launched his attack on Antara and was soon in front and pulling clear.

Meanwhile Mosse on Reggane was finding himself in all sorts of trouble before finding space. Once she saw daylight Reggane ran on very well but Frankie had poached a big enough lead to hold of the challenge by a diminishing neck.

Pachattack came home third, two lengths behind the front pair.

15:01 Next up the race where course commentator Richard Hoiles really earns his money, the 19 runner Investec Entrepreneurial Dash over the fastest 5f in the world.

15:11 Masta Plasta is getting very warm. Moorhouse Lad is pulling hard going to the start, as is Crimea and to a lesser extent Rocket Rob.

15:12 Latest on the Fallon saga - it seems he is stuck in traffic on the M25. He has 33 minutes to get here and weighed in.

15:16 Panic over Fallon has arrived

15:27 Without the benefit of a television replay I am not going to even attempt to give an account of the Dash so in summary.

The race was won by Bertoliver, ridden by Jack Mitchell whose saddle slipped 50 yards from the line.

Second was the favourite Hawkeyethenoo a closing neck behind.

Rocket Rob took third in a photo, with Judge ‘n Jury fourth.

15:41 The big one next.

Most of them are in the parade ring and all are looking warm.

Ted Spreaddoes not look at all happy in the muggy conditions, Rewilding is getting quite warm as is Midas Touch.

Buzzword is the most relaxed.

16:24 I am surrounded by a large number of speechless hacks.

Before this weekend three times champion jockey Ryan Moore had not ridden a British Classic winner, now he has won two as Workforce did not beat, he destroyed, his rivals. In the process he gave Sir Michael Stoute his 5th Derby win.

It was a tactically strange race as the pacemaker At First Sight was reluctant to hit the front and when he did get in position to do his work he fluffed his lines.

Coming round Tattenham Corner At First Sight still had a massive lead and was not looking like coming back to the field.

Leading the following group round the turn was Bullet Train, with Midas Touch, Azmeel and favourite Jan Vermeer.

Three out At First Sight still had a six length lead and we were looking to see the last time we had a 100/1 Derby winner.

The only runner to begin to make an impression was Workforce and Ryan Moore not only closed the gap on the pacemaker he swept past and opened up a massive lead.

Nothing else was able to live with the pace and the result was a foregone conclusion a furlong out.

Frankie Dettori on Rewinding came late but even he was not able to pass the pacemaker, who came home in second, seven lengths behind the winner and half-a-length in front of Dettori.

Favourite Jan Vermeer had to settle for fourth spot.

16:39 Some quotes to follow but we have another race coming up shortly.

The Investec Surefoot Handicap over the Derby distance sees 14 going to post, with 4 non-runners.

17:03 Seb Sanders did not have a ride in The Derby but he clearly watched it and learned from the front running tactics in the big race.

He decided to improve on things and he sent Fortuni out for an all the way victory. It wasn’;t a huge lead to start with but he had a fair amount of daylight behind him turning into the straight.

Nothing  was able to mount a challenge and best of the rest was the filly Cill Rialaig, who began to make progress approaching two out but was unable to trouble the leader.

Mull Of Dubai was another doing best in the closing stages and he came home third.

17:09 Now for those Derby quotes I promised.

First of all winning rider, an emotional Ryan Moore said, "He had a really clean run, I was happy where I was in the race.

"We got a dream run and he quickened really well. The ground was fast enough for him, but he's a really good horse and I'm delighted with that.

"This is the most important race to me, it's great to ride for the boss and Prince Khalid. It's really good day."

Winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute said, "The Dante didn't go as we wanted and it was unsatisfactory, but he was seriously good today.

"I'm delighted for Ryan. He's a confident lad, but after he missed Conduit's win in the Leger, I wanted to get the monkey  off his back."

17:16 The final race of the 2010 Derby meeting is the Investec Distinctive Handicap, with sixteen running over six furlongs.

17:37 A typical sprint where Fol Hollow and We Have A Dream were allowed  to set off in front, whilst the others handled the hill in different ways.

Once on the relatively even home straight  the field compressed.

Fol Hollow and  We Have A Dream still had the advantage and looked set to take the honours.

However Flipando came with a late run to grab a neck victory on the line from Fol Hollow.

It was left to Nick Bostock to sort out third spot and it didn’t take him too long to give the verdict to Something who edged out We Have A Dream.

Joint favourite Parisian Pyramid, prominent from two out came home fifth and the other joint favourite and last years winner Baldemar had every chance two out but was swallowed up by the cavalry.

Mac Gille Eoin, who won this contest two years ago, seemed to have an off day and was never in with a chance.     

18:04 Ryan Moore has just been speaking to us and I can confirm he does know how to smile.

He said that Workforce had stood out the first time he rode him out as a tw-year-old.

He admitted some reservations before the race today saying, “we would have liked to have got another run into him, he is still very inexperienced.”

“I was actually hoping for some rain last night as he prefers some give in the ground. I was worried it would be too lively for him.”

When asked if he was worried being ten lengths behind the pacemaker, he said he wasn’t but he conceded, “I hit the front much sooner than I wanted to. I was worried with his inexperience he may pull himself up.”

A few weeks ago saw the 10th anniversary of his first win under rules, a hurdle at Towcester. At that time his ambition was to win a Grand National.

When asked what went wrong with that plan he replied, “I stopped growing.”

He said once he switched to the flat his ambition was to be champion jockey (something he has achieved three times) but he wasn’t  that optimistic as you “need a lot of luck.”

To that I would add you need plenty of talent and he has that in abundance.  

18:12 Well that’s it from the Investec Derby meeting 2010.

It will be a memorable meeting for Ryan Moore who won both the Classics, his first British Classic successes.

Many questioned if this years Derby would be a classic Classic. That remains to be seen, what we did see was a breathtaking demolition by Workforce.

Once again the Derby weekend has given us a story.

The festival show isn’t quiet for long as Royal Ascot begins a week on Tuesday and we shall be there.

Meanwhile from a sunny Epsom Downs a very good evening.

Return to race archive:

Non-Runners

The time in brackets is the time the horse was officially declared a non-runner.

SC - Self Certificate
VC - Vet's Certificate

Non-runners

13:40
10 Kingdom Of Munster (withdrawn - colic 13:08))

16:45
3 Siberian Tiger (going - 10:40)
4 Final Victory (going - 09:29)
12 Perpetually (lame - SC 10:14)
18 Run For Ede's (not eaten up - SC 08:50)

17:20
10 Aye Aye Digby (going - 13:06)

Results

13:40 Handicap 1m 2f 18yds

14:10 Woodcote Stakes 6f

14:40 Princess Elizabeth Stakes 1m 114yds

15:15 Investec Dash 5f

16:00 Investec Derby 1m 4f 10yds

16:45 Surefooted Stakes 1m 4f 10yds

17:20 Distinctive Stakes 6f