Ambiente Friendly thrusts himself firmly into the Epsom reckoning with a time not far off a course record set in 1990

If race names were subject to review on account of performance, then the Lingfield Derby Trial would not be on a completely firm footing.

It has not fared too badly in the last five years, with 2019 race winner Anthony Van Dyck going on to Epsom glory and 2021 Lingfield runner-up Adayar doing likewise, but Anthony Van Dyck is the only trial winner to follow up in the big race since the turn of the century, and in total only five participants at Lingfield have subsequently been placed in the Derby.

On paper, Saturday's edition looked a fairly typical renewal, containing plenty of unexposed horses seeking to gain that bit more experience before Epsom. The form standard set by Illinois, however, fell a little short of the usual pre-race level, and the array of abilities on show was reflected in the margins at which they finished behind impressive winner Ambiente Friendly.