Do you have a favourite Derby? I'm not a huge fan of the race or Epsom, but I had a monster bet on Motivator in 2005 and when they came round Tattenham Corner, you could tell he was going to win. It was just a question of how far. Woo-hoo!! From a non-punting point of view, my favourite Derby was the one won by the brilliant Sea The Stars. He was just an awesome horse and I don't think we'll see the likes of him again for a very, very long time.
Recently Motivator and Authorised from a financial point of view Fav ever probably Shergar, the way he accelerated away from the field (however poor it is considered) was amazing. Nashwan and Generous also great memories
Reference Point's win in 1987 - My first real bet with the exception of the GN. Left school at the end of May and for the next few months got hooked on horse racing spending every given moment in the betting shop, they were horrible dingy smokey grim places back in the day let me tell you. But no small thanks to HRC and Steve Cauthen I was hooked. If memory serves they also did exceptionally well at Ascot that year, nothing like a string of winners to get you addicted . My favourite horse to win the Derby - Sea The Stars, as beefcake suggests I don't think we will see his like again.
Authorised because the atmosphere at Epsom on Derby day that year was fantastic. I was standing by the winning post and it seemed as though everyone had backed Frankie!
Grundy. Virtual certainty to win according to Timeform and he was 5/1. Was there to witness the chestnut with flaxen mane and tail and he paid for my day out. Followed up with that historic battle with Bustino in the KG. I was there too and backed him both times. Also I was laughing all the way from Tattenham Corner when I was there to see Slip Anchor 10l clear. I think he won by about 6l.
last year for me. I backed Workforce all the way, my biggest win ever and to see him do it in that style was such a great buzz!! And to make it better I had a few quid EW on At First Sight as well, lets hope for as good a year on Saturday!
Obviously my choice will be Shergar, he was without doubt the most naturally gifted horse I have ever seen, he just galloped all over his opponents in the 81 Derby, pulling 15 lenghs clear of the field, and easing down to an excercise canter for the whole final furlong, to still win by 10 lenghs! When the jockey on the second crossed the line he was convinced he had won as Sherhar was so far clear he couldn't see him. The second placed horse was Glint Of Gold and he went on to win 6 G1 races across Europe, and Ian Balding his trainer has said he was the 2nd best horse he had ever trained, only behind the great Mill Reef, that just goes to show what a great horse Shergar was, and confirms that the 81 race was no tin pot race as many cynics would try to make you believe! SMS has recently said he has bever trained a horse as good as Shergar, and he's had 5 Derby winners and an Arc winner. Walter Swinburn described Sherhar as the best horse he had ever ridden by a country mile, and he rode Dancing Brave's conquerer Sharastani and the unbeaten Lamtarra to Derby success. Even Pester Piggott stated after winning the Irish Derby on Shergar that he had never sat on anything like him! Shergar was a middle distance machine, and his likes had never been seen before and they won't be seen again
ROFL mate. Hard to beat Golden fleece's win.Last for most of the way then went past them like they werent there.Would have and should have been one of the alltime greats.
Golden Fleece would have been my 2nd choice, though he would have still been no match for Shergar. Shergar would of left him for dead
The Fleece would have beaten every derby winner except Mill Reef and Seabird imo.Would have beaten Shergar and Dancing Brave with ease at Epsom.
Please DB, do be serious, Mill Reef's trainer knows just how good Shergar was he destroyed the second best horse he had ever trained in Glint Of Gold, by 10 lenghs, eased up for a whole furlong, could you have imagined what Shergar would have won by had he been ridden out. Shergar was the best middle distance horse ever, and had Sea Bird II, Mill Reef or Golden Fleece been in the 81 Derby they would have suffered the same fate as Glint Of Gold
You been sniffing the windolene again Shergar?Glint of Gold won the equivalent of 6 Group 3's and would have been stuffed by at least 10 lengths by most Derby winners.And as far as Balding saying he was the second best he trained.Thats not saying a lot really as he didnt exactly train(Mill Reef exc)great middle distance horses.
Dancingbraveforever, I do not know why you are getting drawn into a Shergar debate with King Shergar. We had this pointless tirade of his absolute fact opinions on 606 and no amount of reasoned argument is going to shift him. As for Glint Of Gold being the “second best horse” that Ian Balding ever trained, that is just palpable nonsense. Going back to the original topic, I will nominate the 1987 race as my favourite Derby simply on the grounds that it is the only time that I have ever been to Epsom and I went to see Henry Cecil’s Reference Point run them into the ground and he did just that in Steve Cauthen’s hands. That was back in the days when train travel was affordable and my small ante post bet on the Derby winner ended up paying for the whole day. I remember the touts were going around trying to sell a tip for the French second-favourite Sadjiyd that day. Hopefully they are doing the same tomorrow as it ran nowhere.
