Carlton House new Derby favourite after Dante success
The Dante has a fantastic record for producing winners of the blue riband event at Epsom, with last year’s winner Workforce even breaking the mould by getting beaten on the Knavesmire but still winning on the first Saturday in June.
Carlton House had been held up in his home work, first by the unusually dry spring, and secondly when he got some puss in a foot, but he was still towards the head of the betting for the premier Classic leading up to the race.
With Henry Cecil’s highly-touted World Domination and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Seville, second in a Group One last season, in the line-up, it was certainly a trial of the highest calibre. Unfortunately, the early pace set by Hughie Morrison’s Pisco Sour was pedestrian, which rendered the first half of the race irrelevant.
Carlton House (11-4) was a little reluctant to go into the stalls beforehand and then sweated up a bit, which perhaps led to him racing fairly keenly throughout the race.
Seville tracked Pisco Sour to the two-furlong pole when distress signals were being sent out by Tom Queally on World Domination.
Ryan Moore could be spotted travelling well on the winner but appeared to have nowhere to go. But for one with so little experience he showed a great attitude to squeeze through the smallest of gaps between Seville and Pisco Sour to go away and win impressively by a length and a half.
“I’m very pleased with him. We thought it could be a messy race, and it certainly turned out to be that,” said Stoute, winning his sixth Dante.
Dante sponsors totesport make Carlton House their new 2-1 favourite (from 4s), with Seville unchanged at 6-1, the same price as stablemate Recital.
