It has been five years since Sir Michael Stoute last won the Derby and far longer since the days when the master of Freemason Lodge was the most feared trainer on the Classic scene.
Now Stoute could just be about to return from what, by his standards, has been a Classic wilderness. The taciturn trainer, who turned 70 last week, has a colt called Midterm who was on Sunday cut to second favourite for the 2016 Derby.
Midterm won in eye-catching fashion at Newbury on Friday on his racecourse debut, sweeping through for a decisive victory after being slow from the stalls and being held up at the rear of the 17-runner field. It was not only the manner of that success that impressed. The colt has an outstanding pedigree – having been sired by Galileo (the 2001 Derby hero) and having the multiple Group One winner Midday as his dam.
Most bookmakers initially offered Midterm around 25-1 on Friday evening but the Khalid Abdullah-owned colt is now as short as 12-1. It is far too early to get involved in betting on next year’s Classics, of course. Unwary punters usually get eaten alive at a time when success next year remains pure guesswork.
One feature of the 2016 Derby ante-post market at the weekend, however, is that Aidan O’Brien does not have a colt at or close to the head of the betting. The Ballydoyle trainer, who has saddled five Derby victors, also had no luck in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday. At this stage of the autumn in recent times O’Brien usually has several horses vying for Epsom favouritism.
At Leopardstown on Sunday Jim Bolger – who won at Epsom in 2008 with New Approach – struck a blow when his Moonlight Magic was cut by several bookmakers to 20-1 (from 33-1) for the Derby after a three-quarter length win over O’Brien’s Landofhopeandglory in the Eyrefield Stakes.
Moonlight Magic arrived with an irresistible late run to take the Listed race. “He’s a good horse. He was a little bit backward and just made it this year,” Bolger said. “I’d say he’ll improve a lot over the winter and hopefully he’ll be back here for the Derrinstown Derby Trial [in May].”
Dermot Weld has a Derby possible in Tirmizi, who won on his debut at Leopardstown on Saturday. “He has big potential and we’ll see if he’s a Derby horse,” Weld said.
At Aintree on Sunday Sound Investment sparked scenes of wild celebration in the winner’s enclosure after the seven-year-old won the Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase.
Carrying the colours of the Owners Group 001, the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding repelled last year’s winner, Wishfull Thinking, in a barnstorming finish to the feature event at the Merseyside track.
The 7-1 shot navigated his way through the two-and-a-half-mile contest nimbly and efficiently under a well-judged ride from Nick Scholfield. He was in front as the final fence loomed large and, just as Wishfull Thinking was building up a head of steam, Sound Investment produced a monstrous leap to maintain the advantage.
The two battled all the way to the line, with the champion trainer’s charge holding on by half a length, much to the delight of his army of owners. Nicholls’ assistant, Tom Jonason, said: “This has been his aim all season. He’ll probably get an entry in the Paddy Power [Cheltenham]. He’ll have to be aimed at those big handicaps now.
“If he was to come back here for something over the big fences, it could be the Sefton in December but we’ll see.”
There was a sad postscript to the main event as Nicky Henderson’s Rajdhani Express, a winner at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival and victorious over Aintree’s Grand National fences in the Topham Chase in April, was pulled up having suffered a fatal injury.
Nigel Twiston-Davies is considering a future Grand National tilt with Benbens (5-1) after a determined success in the Veterans’ Handicap Chase.
“He jumped very well. He can make the odd mistake in his races, but he didn’t this time,” said the Naunton handler. He might be back here for the National one day. That would look an obvious target and these old-age pensioner races are great.”
