Darley looks forward to Derby

Kevin Darley is looking forward to improving his Derby record when he partners Fight Your Corner in the Vodafone-sponsored classic on Saturday week.

The champion jockey of 2000 won the Chester Vase on the Mark Johnston-trained colt in record time.

And the son of Muhtarram is set to be supplemented for Epsom at a cost of £90,000 (€141,000) this Saturday after being bought by Sheikh Mohammed on behalf of his son Sheikh Hamdan, the official Darley web-site announced today.

Darley has ridden the colt in six of his seven races and won on him three times and he has had four Derby mounts, his best placing being sixth on Godolphin’s Hatha Anna in 2000 and on Roger Charlton’s Mystic Knight in 1996.

‘‘I’m over the moon. I was obviously pleased with his last run after he disappointed first time out,’’ Darley said today.

‘‘I think he just had an off-day first time out but he did nothing wrong at Chester and the Chester Vase is as good a classic trial as any.

‘‘I saw him this morning and he looks a million dollars.

‘‘He showed something at Chester that he’d not shown us before - he got a bit outpaced and showed a turn of foot.

‘‘The one question mark we haven’t got is that he’ll stay because I think that’s his game. He’ll get a mile and a half stood on his head.

‘‘Everybody has been playing the Derby down, but it’s a race everybody wants to win.

Darley knows the strength of the opposition more than most, having won the attheraces Sky Channel 418 Derby Trial at Lingfield by a record 13 lengths on the Johnston-trained Bandari, who also has to be supplemented for Epsom, and last season’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on the Aidan O’Brien-trained High Chaparral.