Will Camelot be king of the castle?

Camelot basks in the glory after his QIPCO 2000 Guineas triumph. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

The unbeaten and much vaunted Camelot, who won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at the start of a May over a mile despite being bred to excel at middle distances, will line up against just eight rivals in Saturday’s £1.35m Investec Derby, now Britain’s richest horserace.

The mile and a half trip should see Camelot come into his own and it is no wonder that the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt is the red-hot, odds-on favourite for the world’s most famous Flat race, race eight in the QIPCO British Champions Series.

Ever since he demolished his rivals in the Racing Post Trophy last October to earn the title of joint champion two-year-old in Europe with the French-trained colt, Dabarsim, Camelot has been hailed as a potential superstar.

He may have only won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas by a neck, but his class was there for all to see.

The nine runner field will be the smallest for 105 years and features strong opposition to the favourite in the shape of the highly talented Betfred Dante Stakes winner, Bonfire, who is not gauranteed to stay the trip, the Betfred Derby Trial winner Main Sequence and the recent Newmarket winner, Thought Worthy.

Bonfire looked very good at York, but his trainer, Andrew Balding, has made no secret of his stamina concerns.

Main Sequence, trained by David Lanigan, has yet to taste defeat and always seems to find enough to win his races, but this is by far his toughest assignment to date.

The John Gosden-trained Thought Worthy looks sure to relish the mile and a half trip having only just got up close home to win over a mile and a quarter last time and he could go well at a big price.

Chester winner Astrology, a stable companion of Camelot who will be ridden by Ryan Moore, also has strong credentials, but the favourite may be simply too good.

Joseph O’Brien takes the ride and both he and his father, Aidan, will be looking to extend their leads at the top of the QIPCO British Champions Series jockey and trainer tables. 

The Investec Derby is always a race to savour and this year could be extra special with an awesome performance from Camelot a strong possibility. Make sure you don’t miss it, live on BBC 1 and Racing UK at 4pm.

For the full race details and field, CLICK HERE.