Can top-class Lord North land another Winter Derby on his way to more Meydan riches?

The Winter Derby has undergone change in recent years, with the most significant up to now being moving from its traditional slot on the Saturday after the Cheltenham Festival to its February date. However, switching from Lingfield to Southwell will change the race forever.

Southwell’s Tapeta surface will pose a completely new challenge compared to Polytrack, around Lingfield’s tight turns, and an extra furlong in distance also changes the race entirely.

That hasn’t deterred the connections of many of last year’s runners from having another crack at it, though, and last season’s winner Lord North returns for his first outing since landing the Dubai Turf at Meydan last March. That race is presumably the aim again if all goes well here.

Lord North is in a different league to these rivals if he runs to his best, but it’s possible that he won’t be fully wound up after 336 days off, with the Dubai race in mind, and that might make him vulnerable to a race-fit rival like Military Order. He had a prep run here only last month.

That came in the trial for this race over course and distance and he was only narrowly edged out by Enemy, but Military Order was probably in need of that run himself – his first since September – and trainer Charlie Appleby won this race in 2015 with the classy Tryster.

Forest Of Dean has contested the last three runnings of the race at Lingfield, producing regressive form figures of 146, while Tyrrhenian Sea chased home Lord North last year and will need to improve significantly to reverse the places. This looks like a far stronger contest.

So, if there is to be a surprise, maybe it will come from Eydon. It’s anyone’s guess how much ability he retains on his first run for Andrew Balding after 665 days off the track, but he was last seen finishing fourth in the 2,000 Guineas in 2022, only two lengths behind the Group 1 winner Luxembourg. If he reproduces that form on Tapeta (form figures 32), he is a player.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

Jane Chapple-Hyam, trainer of Claymore
He ran well for a long way in the Winter Derby Trial before weakening out of it but he usually comes on for his first run of the year. He would probably prefer if it was over a mile and a quarter but he’s in good shape at home and we expect a better showing.

John Gosden, joint-trainer of Lord North and Forest Of Dean
Both of them are not getting any younger and would probably prefer racing over a mile and a quarter but they are both previous winners of the race. Lord North has been off for nearly a year and will need the race to bring him on for another tilt at the Dubai Turf, which he has won three times in a row, but that is over nine furlongs. Forest Of Dean is Lord North’s lead horse at home and deserves to have another crack at it.

Roger Varian, trainer of Tyrrhenian Sea
This is a stronger race than he won at Lingfield last time at a very different track and over an extra furlong, but we're happy with him at home. We’d have preferred if the race had stayed where it was but we’ll get on with it.

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Military Order
He's definitely come forward since his last start. He's run well already this year over the track and trip. He should be a big player based on the pick of his three-year-old form and what he achieved in the trial.
Reporting by David Milnes

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