Epsom Derby favourite is Blushing Groom

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 21

Epsom Derby favourite is Blushing Groom

NZPA London Blushing Groom, is strong pre-race favourite for the Epsom Derby, Britain’s Premier horse racing classic, to be run today for the 198th time. Blushing Groom, trained in France by Francois Mathet for the Aga Khan, is the outstanding form horse of the race, having run up a sequence of seven victories following a single defeat on his racecourse debut last year. Victory in the Derby, which carries immense preslige as well as a not inconsiderable winner’s purse of SAust 167.750, would set the seal on the judgment of the sportsmen who have already put up S6M as the syndication price of Blushing Groom. -The opposition to the French-trained star in some of his previous races was not tremendously strong, but he showed himself a colt of exciting power when he slaughtered J. O. Tobin, England’s top two-year-old, in the Grand Criterium at Longchamp in October. ■But form is not everything where the Epsom Derby is concerned.

Blushing Groom’s jockey, ; j 31 -year-old Henri Samani, ; I has never ridden the Epsom -i course, which, in a Derby > I field of 20 or more, can be nlone of the most searching I tests possible for a jockey. Some breeding pundits I ‘ I have strong doubts about | ’'Blushing Groom’s parentage ' I in the context of the grindring mile-and-a-half test at 5 1 Epsom. ’ i Blushing Groom’s sire, 7 Red God, was a sprinter and | his dam, Runaway Bride, ’■was not particularly noted ’ j for stamina. A full brother j j of the Derby favourite’s, jßayraan, was at his best '‘over one mile. “I The challenger most I strongly supported against J Blushing Groom is the Irish’i trained colt, The Minstrel, „ | but to some extent the | shortness of his price may 5 be due to his being ridden t ‘by Lester Piggott, the great f! expert of the Epsom Derby. J After an Unbeaten two- - I year-two-year-old campaign, ilThe Minstrel was made 11 favourite for two one-mile classics this season, the ? English and Irish 2000 s! Guineas. He failed to win either, and since he could be

reckoned probably better at ( a mile than a i.iile and aj half, this cannot engender] confidence in his Epsom] prospects. Vincent O’Brien, who ‘ trains The Minstrel, has two I other horses in the race, Be My Guest and Valinsky. Valinsky, a son of the Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky, has rather inconsistent form, but he should stay the trip well, and on his best previous running would have a fair chance of winning under the guidance iof English jockey, Geoff Lewis. I But if one discards Blushing Groom and The Minstrel, much shuffling of the pack is needed to come up with a likely winner. Lorddaw, Nebbiolo, Milderton, Monseigneur, Lucky Sovereign, and Hot Grove look best of the remainder. The field, with riders, is:— Baudelaire, F. Durr; Be My Guest, ; Blushing Groom, 11. Samani; Caporello. E. Eldin; Gairlooh, B. Taylor; Hot Grove, W. Carson; In Haste, J. Lowe; Lordedaw, Y. Saint-Martin; Lucky Sovereign. M. Thomas; Million Dollar Man, G. Starkey; Milverton. C. Roche; Monseigneur, P. Paquet; Mr Music Man, P. Cook; Nebbiolo, |G. Curran; Night Before. P. Ed- ■ dery; Noble Venture, R. Fox;

Pampapaul, G. Dettori; Royal Plume, J. Mercer; St Petersburg, P. Waldron; Sultan’s Ruby, E. Johnson; The Minstrel L. Piggott; Valinsky. G. Lewis. 57.