Talking Horses: Dettori's Derby mount faces six in pre-Epsom run

Frankie Dettori’s Derby outsider Private Secretary faces six rivals after the colt was confirmed to run in his final race before the Classic at Goodwood on Friday.

The decision to run the horse in the Derby was a surprise announcement from trainer John Gosden and the ebullient jockey was in no doubt about the task his 33-1 mount faces a week on Saturday when he spoke at the Breakfast with the Stars pre-Epsom event at the track on Tuesday.

He said: “[Private Secretary] is rated 92, so he’ll have to improve a lot to be competitive, but if John says that the horse has improved, then you have to listen. John said Private Secretary has improved a lot and he won the race at Sandown which Jack Hobbs famously won.”

Gosden also fields Sandown Classic Trial fifth Alfaatik at Goodwood, with Jim Crowley on board. Mark Johnston’s Persian Moon is an obvious danger having finished third in that Sandown heat and having also filled the same position in the Newmarket Stakes subsequently.

Gosden could also be represented in the Derby by Humanitarian, who was victorious in a novice race at Salisbury last week.

Wednesday’s best bets, by Greg Wood

It has been a long time coming but Ayr’s Flat racing season gets underway on Wednesday, when the track’s executives will hope to draw a final line under a troubled period in the course’s 248-year history.

Three meetings at Ayr have been abandoned already this year because the course took longer than expected to recover from drainage work over the winter, and that was in turn carried out to address problems identified after the entire Western meeting in September – the most prestigious event of the year on the Flat in Scotland – was lost in 2017.

An unusually cold and wet winter meant that the new turf did not grow as anticipated, though all was not entirely lost as the scheduled fixture of 30 April was converted to a jumps meeting. Now, though, executives and supporters of Scotland’s premier track will be hoping for a smooth ride towards the Ayr Gold Cup in four months’ time.

There are no fewer than eight races on the card for Ayr’s return to the Flat fixture list, with the feature race at 4.05 when half a dozen fillies and mares are due to go to post for the Listed Rothesay Stakes over 10 furlongs.

Roger Varian’s string is in decent form with a 20% strike rate over the last seven days including Nausha’s win in the Musidora Stakes at York and his filly Shenanigans is the solid favourite at around 5-4. She has yet to win on good-to-firm ground, however, or beyond a mile and Archie Watson’s Vivianite (4.05) may be a better option.

She arrived from Michael Halford’s yard in Ireland over the winter and has not taken long to find her form for her new trainer, finishing a close third in a Listed event at Goodwood earlier this month. The time of that race was impressive and she looks overpriced at around 4-1.

Elsewhere on the Ayr card, both Friendly Advice (3.35) and Mr Shelby (2.30) look fairly priced while The Resdev Way (3.15) and Oud Metha Bridge (5.15) should go well at Yarmouth. Peruvien Bleu (3.55), at Warwick, and the 12-1 shot Diamond Reflection (8.25), at Kempton this evening, are two more to consider at attractive odds.