Jockeys preparing for Derby day (From Gazette & Herald)

Jockeys preparing for Derby day

Two former Ryedale-based jockeys and another, formerly based in York, will be going head-to-head in Saturday's £1.25 million Vodafone Derby.

Kieren Fallon, winner of the race three times already, including each of the last two years, will ride either Oratario or Gypsy King as he attempts to extend his remarkable record in Britain's premier Classic, while Richard Quinn will team up with The Geezer as he aims to chalk up a long-awaited first Derby victory.

As for Alan Munro, he is set to take the mount on French challenger Walk In The Park as he aims to supplement his memorable success on Generous in the 1991 Derby.

While Fallon launched his career in Britain with the late Jimmy Fitzgerald, Quinn started in Norton as an apprentice with Herbert Jones at Blinkbonny stables. Munro carved out the beginnings of his profession with trainer Mel Brittain at Warthill, near York.

All three riders have since gone from strength to strength. Fallon is a six-times champion in Britain, while Quinn has partnered more than 2,000 domestic winners, and Munro proved himself on the big stage, both in Britain and Hong Kong before electing to take a four-year sabbatical from racing, only to return this season with a bang.

A fascinating race is in store on Saturday, and for the second successive year, the Derby winner could come directly from a York stepping stone - the Dante Stakes, which last year was won by North Light, the subsequent Epsom hero, was this season secured by Motivator, now the ante-post favourite.

Unbeaten in three starts, Motivator beat The Geezer into second place at York, but Quinn believes the runner-up has every chance of turning the tables over an extra furlong and a half.

Significantly, Quinn chose The Geezer as his Derby mount in preference to the John Dunlop-trained pair, Kong and Unfurled, two horses who have already carried him to success in Derby trials.

Gypsy King won another Derby trial at Chester, despite showing his inexperience, and, at the time of writing, Fallon is choosing between him and the more streetwise Oratorio - both trained by Aidan O'Brien - as his Derby mount. It is a crucial decision for Fallon, as he aims to complete a Classic hat-trick, following his victories on Kris Kin and North Light in the last two meetings.

Munro is riding for French trainer John Hammond, whose Walk In The Park is considered by many to be a lively outsider, following his narrow defeat by Kong at Lingfield.

Add to the mix, Frankie Dettori, who has frustratingly never won the Derby, aboard Dubawi, plus the all-conquering Jamie Spencer on the in-form Fracas and it's plain to see that Saturday's Derby has all the makings of a proper Classic - with a strong Ryedale slant.

All signs point to Epsom this weekend, and although Ryedale trainers will not be represented in the main event, they will be turning out in force to bid for several of the valuable supporting races, not least the £75,000 Vodafone Dash over the fastest five-furlong course in Britain.

John Quinn won this thrilling speed-test 12 months ago with Caribbean Coral, who is poised to bid for a notable double and also provide his Settrington trainer, who got off the mark with Time To Relax at Wolverhampton last week, with a deserving big race triumph. At Redcar earlier this week, Quinn's Crow Wood was beaten less than a length into third place in the Zetland Gold Cup.

Bishops Court, a horse who has previously twice tasted success in the Dash, will again be in contention, carrying the hopes of his owner-breeder David Brotherton from Whitwell-on-the-Hill. Brotherton will also be keeping a close eye on Cape Royal, a brother of Bishops Court, whom he sold last autumn, and who is also due to be in the line up.

Richard Fahey is aiming to saddle Philharmonic in the Vodafone Sprint Handicap, the concluding race on Derby Day, and this recent Beverley winner promises to make a bold bid.

Malton-based Fahey will also be strongly represented on Friday's opening day of the Epsom meeting with the likes of Wing Commander, Little Jimbob, Danelor, Realism and Golden Legacy.

Who says lightening never strikes in the same place twice? Not Gyles Parkin, that's for sure.

Twelve months ago, the Norton jockey won the VC Bet Sprint Trophy at Musselburgh on Catch The Cat, a 16-1 shot, and last Saturday, he followed up in the corresponding race with a 25-1 victory on Harrison's Flyer.

Both horses scored in photo finishes, Catch The Cat, trained by John Wainwright, prevailing last year by a short head, and, this time, Harrison's Flyer who is trained by Richard Fahey, getting home by just a neck from Handsome Cross in a 17-runner line, which, ironically, saw Catch The Cat finish down the field in seventh place.

With a first prize of more than £10,000, this is always a race worth winning, and Parkin's latest success proved even more welcome than usual.

Not only was it the jockey's first win of the season, but he had returned to action only days earlier, having spent three weeks on the sidelines with a dislocated thumb.

Dale Gibson, looking forward to continuing his successful association with Bow Bridge at the forthcoming Royal Ascot at York, maintained his fine run on success on Mick Easterby's horses at Doncaster last Saturday.

Gibson, who is based at Boston Spa, gained a decisive success on Sporting Gesture, who ran right away from his rivals to score by three lengths and make up for a narrow defeat at Carlisle the previous weekend.

"He finished second to Marias Magic, ridden by Kevin Darley, at Carlisle," said Gibson, hardly needing to add that his conqueror was also in the Doncaster line up. "I told Kevin before we went out on Saturday that I was confident of beating him this time, as he had the run of the race at Carlisle, and wouldn't be so fortunate again."

Gibson's prediction proved spot on, with Sporting Gesture bounding home in style for Ryedale owner Steve Hull - with Marias Magic finishing out with the proverbial washing.

Gibson has rattled up a hat-trick of wins on Bow Bridge this season and will be back aboard the Sheriff Hutton flyer when she contests the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot on Knavesmire.

Ramblees Holly, who is trained at Nawton near Helmsley by Stuart Wood, has continued to prove himself to be a smart money-spinner.

The gelding gained his sixth career success, and his second at Hexham, last weekend when gaining a gutsy neck victory under Tom Messenger at 5-1.

Andy Turnell, soon to depart from Ryedale, was also on the mark at the same meeting with the odds-on Bishop's Bridge, who dutifully obliged under Graham Lee.

Turnell, who has been based at Norton's famous Highfield yard for more than four years, is moving to Wiltshire, following John Hollowood's sale of Highfield to John Fairley, chairman of Highflyer Productions, which produce racing programmes for Channel 4 and Racing UK.

Ryedale Partnerships, run by Tony Raby at Kirkbymoorside, have enjoyed a successful time in recent seasons and this happy band of owners can surely never have had a more thrilling win than that achieved by Paris Bell at Ripon last week.

Not only did the highly-strung filly, trained by Tim Easterby, have to switch from the outside to the inside to overcome her wide draw, but she was continually denied a clear run in the last two furlongs before bursting through in the dying strides to gain a 12-1 victory by inches.

Paris Bell was partnered by Paul Quinn, who is another fan of the filly. He has now won four races on her.

And finally, in the unlikely event that Her Majesty the Queen is short of dinner invitations during her planned stay in North Yorkshire for York's Royal Ascot meeting, she now has one other option to consider.

Last week at Wetherby, one of her horses, Shining Strand won a hurdle race, sponsored by the Nags Head at Pickhill, near Thirsk. When Sir John Oswald, the Queen's representative, dutifully stepped forward to pick up the race trophy, he found there was an added bonus for the winning owner; an envelope containing a voucher for dinner for two at the Nags Head.

Bearing in mind this popular eating house is sure to be in even greater demand than usual during Ascot, would it not be a good idea if one of the Royal household made an early booking on behalf of Her Majesty to ensure that she gets a table?

Updated: 11:54 Wednesday, June 01, 2005