Ambiente Friendly eyes Derby glory for James Fanshawe

Trainer James Fanshawe insists he is “thrilled” to have a runner in the Betfred Derby for the first time in 33 years, as he bids to land the world’s most famous Flat race on Saturday with Ambiente Friendly.

The ghost of Fred Archer, the greatest jockey of the 19^th Century who rode five Derby winners, is said to haunt Fanshawe’s Pegasus House Stables in Newmarket. However, its current occupier, insists his team are focused on enjoying “a special occasion” when the Group One Betfred Derby takes place at Epsom Downs on Saturday 1st June. 

Ambiente Friendly, who is owned by The Gredley Family and is the son of Gleneagles, won on debut at Leicester last season before finishing third in the Group Three Emirates Autumn Stakes at Newmarket. After a comeback fourth in the Listed bet365 Feilden Stakes at Newmarket’s Craven Meeting in April, he emerged as a leading Betfred Derby contender when coming home the impressive four and a half length winner of the Group Three Derby Trial at Lingfield Park on May 11^th.

The last winner of the Lingfield contest to go on to score in the Derby was Anthony Van Dyck in 2019 and race sponsor Betfred make Ambiente Friendly a 6-1 chance for glory on Saturday. Fanshawe has had just one previous Derby runner, with Environment Friend finishing 11^th back in 1991.

We are just trying to make sure these last four days go smoothly and we can take in everything

Speaking today, Fanshawe said: “It’s a real privilege to have a horse that’s good enough to be going to the Derby with a chance. He won his trial well and seems to have come out of the race in good shape. There is a real buzz in the yard with us having a Derby contender which is great. We are just trying to make sure these last four days go smoothly and we can take in everything about what is such a special occasion.

“The Derby is the premier Classic and we have to remember that. We are thrilled to have a runner in it. We have had plenty of Group One successes but haven’t had too many runners in the Classics – we had a second in the 1000 Guineas with Spacious and Soviet Song was also fourth in that when she wasn’t quite right.

“The Derby is The Derby. A lot of things are judged on the result of The Derby and it is our premier Classic. It goes in and out of fashion and the trend for speed rather than stamina is looking to be changing when you look at racing in Australia, the Middle East and Japan. I think it is important the Derby is maintained as a mile and a half test. The Derby has been going for 245 years and stood the test – it’s a great prize.

There will be lots of people going there thinking they have got a good chance

“It looks an open race this year. We have done our test by winning at Lingfield really well in a good time and he has come out of the race in good shape. It has been a difficult spring with it being so wet and cold and there will be horses that improve no end for running in the trials, so there will be lots of people going there thinking they have got a good chance.”

Fanshawe also spoke about his Betfred Derby contender’s most recent piece of work and explained: “I’m very happy with Ambiente Friendly. He did a final bit of work on the round gallop over an extended mile on Sunday morning. It wasn’t a strenuous piece of work but was just what I wanted to cover the ground and I was very happy with the way he went. Post gallop, he seems very well.

“Usually, I like to gallop horses exactly a week before their designated race but we had had so much rain on Thursday and Friday that the Limekilns in Newmarket, the summer gallops, were shut. The Jockey Club were very accommodating in allowing us to use the round gallop on Sunday morning.

“Over the winter and even since his reappearance in the Feilden Stakes, he has grown up a lot. He is a lot easier ride than he used to be and Andrew Sansome who rides him out most days has done a very good job with him.

For both his starts so far this season, Ambiente Friendly has been partnered by Callum Shepherd but the colt’s owners have opted to use the more experienced Rab Havlin for the Betfred Derby.

Rab takes the ride

Fanshawe continued: “Rab came in and rode him after the news broke and came again on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and again this morning. He seems to get on with him well and they have a good rapport.”

As to how he came to train Ambiente Friendly and the progress the colt has made, Fanshawe said: “Freddy Tylicki picked him out and Bill Gredley was buying nine horses for his 90^th birthday at the Craven Breeze-Ups last year. Bill saw Freddy and told him to go and find him a horse. Freddy bought him for Bill for 80,000 Guineas and he would have made a lot more if it was known he was going to be a Derby contender.

“He was an immature horse and not the strong two-year-old type so that is probably why he made a little bit less. When he came to the yard, he had had a bit of a holiday at Stetchworth but was still quite weak looking and needed to fill out, which he did. He is a very elegant, good moving horse. You would hope that it would be his year as a three-year-old and that he would get stronger as he gets older.

“I think the real revelation at Lingfield was how he went round the bend and he stayed the mile and a half – it really seemed to bring out the best in him.”

A total of 20 remain in contention for Saturday’s Classic on the Epsom Downs with Aidan O’Brien preparing a strong trio of runners, including current favourite, City of Troy. Despite his flop in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, his trainer remains positive, recently saying; “Everything has been good since the Guineas. We just accepted that all these things just happened and went wrong on the day and we’ve decided to stay with the plan.”

The Betfred Derby Festival starts on Friday 31st May, with the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup, Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby all part of the QIPCO British Champions Series.