Forget your Bluegrass Derby, forget your Sydney Derby, in fact forget every other race that incorporates the word Derby because they all took they\u2019re moniker from this race, the real mccoy, the one and only true Derby! It\u2019s taken a while for the penny to drop with a lot of simsters but following the exploits of its two most recent winners, subsequent Horses of the Year, Sunnybank Memorial and Horseshoe Bay, this\u00a0race is now top of the agenda to win. In the early days, the Derby De English was a mere distraction, some turf race that took place in a little island off the coast of Europe but now SM and HB have put it firmly on the map. Players are now specifically gearing their breeding programmes and juvenile campaigns with an eye to finding a horse that can go 1 mile 4 furlongs on turf, up and down the stiff gradients of Epsom\u2019s switchback course. The true test of a thoroughbred! Let\u2019s preview those runners that have accepted the challenge.<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P> \u00a0 \u00a0 A juvenile sensation! Deservedly finished last year as the top turf 2yo. Contrast that with this campaign where he has still to put his head in front where it matters. I don\u2019t suppose we\u2019ll ever know what happened to him in the 2000 Guineas where from leading at halfway he seemed to completely lose interest in proceedings, and finished out with the washing. He bids to redeem his reputation in THE toughest race and how he\u2019ll cope, we\u2019ll have to wait and see. His pedigree suggests it could go either way but judged on his juvenile form, he looks to be all speed to me. \u00a0 \u00a0 This is a horse with guts. Why? Because he\u2019s a 10-furlong horse pushing himself to the limit, chasing horses who are better than him over 12-furlongs. Narrowly beaten 3 runs ago by arguably a more brilliant horse in Creepshow, he bettered that horse in the Sydney Derby by having more tenacity in the closing stages. He really was no match for the first two home that day and subsequently proved to be the best of the rest in a disappointing field for the Adelaide. He will again run his usual honest race but will again find those final 2 furlongs a stretch. A future star at 10-furlongs? \u00a0 \u00a0 It\u2019s no surprise to see this guy performing so well over 12 furlongs, the top and bottom of his pedigree is all stamina. Very much an unknown quantity having easily accounted for 3 rivals last time out in Puerto Rico and he could run a big race on Saturday. One to watch. \u00a0 \u00a0 5 runs, 3 wins, unbeaten on turf, and a graded winner to boot! Certainly doesn\u2019t lack the credentials! However (and there always is a \u2018However\u2019), he only squeaked home by the narrowest of margins in his G2 victory. Was he running out of stamina over 11 furlongs? Normally he likes to run on the lead but as he is in the same ownership as the other confirmed front-runner, Lex Luthor, what will connections decide? Owner Galileo is unlikely to want to see both his charges cutting each others throats so it\u2019s likely this one will be reined back to allow Lex an uncontested lead. How will Giantsbane react to having to follow his stablemate? \u00a0 \u00a0 Can lightning strike 3-times? Sunnybank Memorial rattled off 3 straight Derby wins, incorporating the Sydney, Adelaide and English Derbies in an unblemished sequence of 9 wins. The following year, Horseshoe Bay, achieved the same unique treble in a sequence of 6 wins. Incredibly, for a 3rd<\/SUP> year in a row, we have a horse looking to annex the English Derby to previous victories in the Sydney and Adelaide versions. Cortez\u2019s wins in those previous 2 Derbies were both slower than his illustrious predecessors but it could be argued that he did all he needed to do, to win. He had clear daylight between himself and the runners-up on both occasions and it\u2019s possible there may be more in the tank if required. We won\u2019t know how good he is until he\u2019s beaten but there is an excellent argument to suggest he\u2019s every bit as good as those two horses who created the legacy he\u2019s bidding to emulate. \u00a0 \u00a0 A slow start to his career but a switch of surfaces has worked wonders. Only a head defeat over a mile prevents him from being unbeaten on the grass and a reproduction of his last effort would see him go very close on Saturday. No problems with staying the distance on pedigree and he will give the principals plenty to think about. \u00a0 \u00a0 2 wins from 5 and never off the board. A staying-on 3rd<\/SUP> in the Adelaide Derby, he deserves to take his chance here. The race on Saturday should answer a few questions for connections. Whether to persevere at this distance or drop him back in trip as he may well have a future over a mile. Unlikely to turn the tables on those ahead of him in the Adelaide and it would be a result if he could finish in the frame. \u00a0 \u00a0 Has form with a number of these and has tended to find one or two too good in graded stakes. On the plus side he was slowly pegging back Giantsbane in their Derby trial over 11 furlongs and of the pair, he may find the 12 furlongs less daunting. It wouldn\u2019t be a total shock if he won but with a sire that won the 2000 guineas over a mile, his stamina is questionable. \u00a0 \u00a0 The further he goes, the better he looks. The winner of the same Derby prep as Jupiter\u2019s Moons last year and I\u2019m sure connections would be thrilled if he could duplicate that ones runner-up position. He has yet to show some eye-popping numbers but he may only be doing all he needs to do. The outsider of the field at 28\/1, I guarantee he will give a better showing than his price suggests. \u00a01<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 19710<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> PUB CRAWL(IRE) <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> stormborn <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> S Shady <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 8\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 2<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 52666<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> GOOD TO BE KING <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> super21 <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> T Nugent <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 8\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 3<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 18333<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> FALCON JACK(IRE) <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> jackworm <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> T Liverson <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 24\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 4<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 111305<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> GIANTSBANE <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> sangster <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> J Diggs <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 18\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 5<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 19538<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> CORTEZ(IRE) <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> slipknot22 <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> R Harzheim <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 5\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P> 6<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 94644<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> STRONG BELWAS <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> asoiaf <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> J Ross <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 13\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P> 7<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 111912<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> SHACKLEBOLT <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> lenny17 <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> R Freedman <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 20\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P> 8<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 105617<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> DEVIL’S KING(IRE) <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> stevesutto <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> D Bowie <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 8\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 9<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 41823<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> DRAGO DELL’ORO <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> shadowclaw <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> J Plumber <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 28\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE> 10<\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> 21511<\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> ROYAL WOODBINE <\/FONT><\/B><\/TD> preakness <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> S Wylan <\/FONT><\/U><\/A><\/TD> 10\/1<\/FONT><\/TD><\/TR><\/TBODY><\/TABLE><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/SPAN>\u00a0