Derby gallops: what the trainers say as Dancing Gemini gets Epsom go-ahead

Green light: Dancing Gemini (William Cox, left) with a work companion in front of the stands at Epsom. All photos: John Hoy / Jockey Club

Plans for the Betfred Derby were further clarified on Tuesday when Epsom hosted its annual Festival Gallops Morning and a number of Classic probables were put through their paces on the famous Downs.

A total of 21 horses remain in the world’s premier Classic on Saturday June 1 following some significant morning action, after which Dancing Gemini was given the green light to run.

“I think we’re going to roll our sleeves up and come here,” said Lambourn-based trainer Roger Teal, who had been considering the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) at Chantilly 24 hours later.

Leading Irish rider Dylan Browne McMonagle, who won back-to-back apprentice titles in 2021-22, has the ride on the French Guineas runner-up. “He’s already been on the phone to see how he worked,” said Teal. “Unfortunately Dylan couldn’t make it today because he’s at Cork.

Classic scene: Derby contender Dancing Gemini ready for a racecourse spin with a work companion at Epsom. Photo: John Hoy / Jockey Club “We were looking for a jockey that we could stick with him,” he went on. “There are lots of good lads over here but they’re attached to big stables so unfortunately we needed to broaden our horizons and Dylan looked like he was going to be available, especially for the French Guineas and obviously the Derby now.

“He’s bought into what we’re doing and he believes in the horse, which is an added bonus. He’s very confident in the horse, especially after riding him in France and he’s a cool cookie and I think that’s what you need on big days.”

Also set to run after exercising at the Derby venue are Deira Mile (Owen Burrows/Jim Crowley), Macduff (Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan) and Voyage (Richard Hannon/Pat Dobbs).

Derby betting (Coral): 7-4 City Of Troy, 4 Ambiente Friendly, 5 Los Angeles, 10 Ancient Wisdom, 12 Diego Velazquez, Macduff, 14 Dancing Gemini, 16 Bellum Justum, Voyage, 20 Illinois, 25 Defiance, 33 bar.

What the trainers say

Roger Teal on Dancing Gemini: I was very happy with that. He looked good coming down the hill to me and William (Cox, work rider) was delighted. He said he handled the track beautifully.
It’s on the easy side out there so it was lovely ground to do that this morning. Obviously we haven’t gone mad but it was a nice healthy exercise. He only ran nine days ago, so the whole point of coming here was to give him a feel of the layout of the track. It looked good and William said it felt good.
I think we’re going to roll our sleeves up and come here. Obviously it’s very tempting to go back to France but it would be lovely to win the Derby, or at least have a crack at the Derby.
To come here with a live contender is wonderful and very exciting for all the team – David, wife Linda and all the team back home. I think we’re all excited about having a crack at our own Derby rather than going across the Channel so fingers crossed we can get here in a couple of weeks’ time and run well.
He’s a very speedy horse but he’s also got the breeding to be a mile and a halfer – his dad [Camelot] won the Derby and he’s out of an Australia mare [Lady Adelaide], as is well documented, so on breeding he’s bred to get it.
He’s got such a relaxed manner about him that you can put him to sleep and then hopefully use his burst of speed towards the end of the race. There’s positives – he’s not guaranteed to stay, no horse is, but on paper he’s got more of a chance of staying than he hasn’t.
It’s the Derby and there will be good horses wherever we go. The field has thinned out and it does help a little bit. Godolphin have lost two major contenders and the horse at Chester [Hidden Law] looked to be a very impressive winner before what happened.
But yes, it’s an open field and we’ve got to have a crack at it, I think. It’s the only year because he’s a three-year-old – we can’t bring him back next year! It’s very exciting so that’s what we’re going to do.
It’ll be very exciting - very nerve-racking as well and I probably won’t sleep much a few days before, but it’ll be lovely to come back. It’s very exciting to be involved in it. I never thought I would be, but here we go – we’re here.

Owen Burrows on Deira Mile: Epsom has special memories for me as I had my first G1 winner with Hukum in the Coronation Cup a couple of years ago and I was fortunate enough to be working for Sir Michael Stoute when he sent out the Derby winners Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004) and Workforce (2010). They are happy memories and it would be nice if I could add my name to the Derby.
The Classics are the races we all want to win. It wouldn’t usually be my style to come to something like this but I just felt it might suit this horse. He was highly tried on his last run of 2023 up at Doncaster in a Group 1 [Futurity] and I wanted to just get his head in front this season in as weak a race as we could find and I feel we did that at Windsor, where he won nicely.
I feel he has taken a big step forward from that and Ahmad [Al Shaikh, owner] was adamant he didn’t want to go for a trial, so I thought today would give us the ideal opportunity to come and get a feel of the track. Fingers crossed, today has done him some good.
His pedigree suggests that he was always going to be more of a three-year-old and you can see that – he’s a big lad. I also think the trip won’t bother him at all. He’s not slow though.
His form from the Futurity looks solid and ground all comes the same to him – Jim (Crowley) said he loved it out there today and if it turned out to be soft then it wouldn’t be a problem.
At the moment, the Derby is looking open. I think it’s certainly a race you wouldn’t be afraid to have a crack at.

Ralph Beckett on Macduff: I am very happy and he did what we hoped he would do today. He is a very straightforward customer and has got the right mindset – he enjoys his work and gets on with it. He’s a well-balanced horse.
We came here today as he hasn’t run since April 26 and go somewhere and do something with him. At Sandown, he put up a good effort and hopefully he will come forward significantly for it. We weren’t running many at that time and they were running okay but not winning so it was a good effort.
He is out of a Bated Breath mare who was a half-sister to Kingman, so there is plenty of speed there but he shapes more like Sea The Stars than Kingman or Bated Breath in my view. In terms of the way he is made and the way he trains, there is more cause for optimism going up in trip with him.
There are not any real comparisons between him and Westover [Derby third in 2022] other than they are both enthusiastic about life in general. Westover’s enthusiasm needed managing but this fellow’s doesn’t really.
Macduff is an enthusiastic horse and Rossa [Ryan] is confident he’ll cope with the downhill course on Saturday week. To win the Derby is what we all aspire to. As a trainer and an Englishman, there is nothing more important.

Richard Hannon on Voyage: This fella ran very well at Newbury, travelled very well. This track will suit him – I just hope he’s not too keen. He can be a little bit keen. If he does that here then he’ll have trouble getting the trip but if he settles.
We don’t know how high the bar is or how high he can go but we’re hoping he’s a good horse. The Derby … quite often they’re hiding as horses that we haven’t seen the best of them on the track yet.
It took me by surprise that he kept going [at Newbury] – the way he was so keen you must be a very decent horse to have done that, but I wasn’t angry or annoyed I can tell you. Surprised? A little bit yes.
He’s not very experienced but he’s unbeaten – that’s one thing you can say for him. But it’s whether he’s good enough and I don’t think there’s any way of finding that out until after the race.
He’s going in there having won his maiden. Running in a trial, he couldn’t do any more than he’s done in that maiden and we like to come here on the back of a win.
I don’t know if he’d have won a Derby trial – he might have. He was a horse that burst onto the scene and Julie [Wood, owner] was very keen to keep him there for the Derby… She’s very keen to keep the dream alive and that’s what she’s done and she’s enjoying all this experience and hopefully it’s all a positive one for her.