Approach rates high in Derby pantheon

There is a strong possibility that this year's Vodafone Derby will be remembered for the events leading up to Saturday's race, rather than the thrilling manner of New Approach's success. But Epsom saw a performance of real quality, one which received official sanction from the British Horseracing Authority's senior handicapper yesterday.

Credit, too, is due to Tartan Bearer who was beaten half a length in second and was in turn 4½ lengths clear of Casual Conquest, for Phil Smith of the BHA has given New Approach a provisional rating of 126 for his Derby win. That is on a par with last year's five-lengths winner Authorized.

"There haven't been many better in recent years," said Smith. "Galileo, who is the sire of New Approach, was higher in 2001. But New Approach is a very good winner and he has improved on the form he showed when second in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and The Curragh. It looked a very good Derby."

Smith will not have a final rating until he has consulted with his Irish counterpart Garry O'Gorman, but he stressed that it is already a significant achievement for the Jim Bolger-trained colt to attain a figure he earned when winning the Dewhurst Stakes at the end of his two-year-old career. "You have to realise that a rating is weight-for-age linked," added Smith. "So when he's on 126 as a two-year-old, just to maintain that figure he has to make terrific improvement from October over seven furlongs as a two-year-old to June as a three-year-old over a mile and a half."

For most of the two months leading up to the Derby, New Approach had been unlikely to tackle a mile and a half, certainly not at Epsom. In April the trainer had stated his preference to run him in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, declaring that "Epsom does not do all that much for a colt's prospective stallion career."

Even when New Approach was left in the Derby at the final forfeit stage on May 23, Bolger insisted it was a "mistake" and it was only when New Approach's name appeared in last Monday's five-day declarations that punters knew of the trainer's plan to mount a Derby bid after all.

Bolger faced a frosty reception at the post-race Derby press conference on Saturday, and in over 25 years of attending the great race I have never encountered such a subdued crowd response to a Derby winner being led in.

Explaining the events that led to New Approach running on Saturday, Bolger said: "I don't know why I didn't take him out and it was an embarrassment to me at the time. If you accept the horse was left in by genuine mistake it doesn't look half as bad as you infer. Epsom was not on his agenda. Can I be more specific than that? The general public have not been treated as less than grown-ups by me."

That statement may not go down too well with punters who were betting ante-post in the Derby, in the belief that New Approach would not be running.

Pressed on the matter yesterday, Bolger remained unapologetic. "I have said all I am going to say on that," he told the At The Races racing channel. Bolger was at least certain of New Approach's next target, which will be the Irish Derby at The Curragh on June 29.

Unlike some of his high-profile purchases under the Godolphin banner, New Approach has proved a gilt-edged investment for Sheikh Mohammed, who first took a 50% share and then bought the colt outright last November. New Approach races in the colours of the Sheikh's wife, Princess Haya, who gave Derby day a timely boost when describing the occasion as "the greatest sporting event in the world."

Saturday's race was eight minutes late off, but clerk of the course Andrew Cooper was not holding Bolger responsible for the delay with the escorting of New Approach to post by pony. "That didn't take much longer than we thought it would," said Cooper yesterday. "It's not the easiest parade to organise at the best of times and it was all acceptable in the circumstances." Pity the same could not be said of Bolger's public relations.