Kieren Fallon on how to ride the Derby – and his idea of the winner

Few jockeys have ridden the Derby course as well as Kieren Fallon. Between 1997 and 2006 he won the Derby three times and the Oaks four. Here he breaks down what it takes to win the great race.

Do not underestimate the preliminaries

Getting to the start is the first battle; you can easily lose the race before it even starts. It won't be as bad this year as you won't have those big crowds on both sides of the track screaming and roaring, which can get them really buzzed up, but it's still a long way and if you don't get them switched off and relaxed they can burn more energy than you want to. Look what happened to Olivier Peslier a few years ago. He's one of the greats and he had to bail out [when Daddys Lil Darling bolted to the start of the 2017 Oaks].

The first half mile is the most crucial

A lot is made of the sweeping downhill turn and the camber, but the first part of the race is by far the most crucial. You can't use too much horse but it's so easy to get shuffled back. You go through that chicane and if you're not careful you can get absolutely killed. The riders on your outside are not going to worry about you, they only care about their position.