Pride of Arras was cut in 4-1 for Derby as the lion in the winter flops in York

Pride of Arras tamed the lion in the Dante in the winter and brought a new life to the derby.

The foal of Ralph Beckett was the least experienced runner in the field, but burst through an opening and remained stylish to make an 18-1 up region in the most important of the Epsom tests.

1

Damysus ran late to take second place, while the lion in the winter, the shelves walked back in 8-11, could only finish sixth because he was unable to establish early doors under Ryan Moore.

It is ironic that Aidan O’Brien has swept everything for him in the classic tests this spring, but his top derby candidate has run the worst race of the party.

With Ballydoyle and Godolphin who dominate the antipost betting for the big race, it was not a bad thing to let a new face come into battle and the pride of Arras certainly did that.

He was lowered in 4-1 from 50s with Derby sponsors Betfred, with O’Brien’s Delacroix (2-1) now replacing his stablemate at the head of the gamble.

The nearest Beckett came to winning the derby in 2022 when Westover ended an unfortunate third behind Desert Crown, and he thinks this horse has just as much potential.

Beckett said: ‘I think that was all that I was hoping for and more.

“He is a very good workhorse and I was convinced that this was the right place to bring him, I just had no confidence in the result.

“A few of me need the run. I have been tough for him to get him here because he just had no experience and he will come forward from today.

“He is a very balanced horse and I would be pretty sure that he could go around Epsom and we look forward to it. I would be confident that the journey will not be a problem.

“He is worth his place in the derby, but it’s hard to say that he is just like my other classic horses.

“He is not a westover, he is not blue. He has a good pedigree but not the profile if you want.

“But by saying that, he has more speed than Westover, he is a better workhorse than he was.

“If he deals with Epsom, what I think he will do that, and he will treat the Jamboree, who thinks he will do that on the basis of today, we have the right to think that we are going there to be competitive.

“What happens afterwards, who knows?”

Despite his defeat, O’Brien was surprisingly chipper about the lion in the Epsom forecast of the winter.

When Moore asked him to accelerate, he looked quite a pace, but they think he will improve a tonne for the race and he will probably still go to the derby on 7 June.

O’Brien said: ‘Ryan was happy with him, so that’s positive, and I think he will take a lot of improvement for it.

“He was fresh in the stalls, he raced and he probably got tired, but then he stayed on the line, which is good.

“There are 23 days before Epsom and he will improve. We will see what he comes out.”

Free bets – Get the best registrations and races

Notification of commercial content: taking one of the offers in this article can lead to a payment to the sun. You must know that brands pay costs to appear on the page in the highest placements. 18+. T&CS applies. gamblearware.org.

Don’t forget to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Determines time and monetary limits before you play
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never follow their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they are upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Guess consciously – www.gamblearware.org

Find our Detailed guide for responsible gambling methods here.