Her Majesty The Queen has made 10 attempts to win the Epsom Derby over a 59-year span albeit without luck; French trainers collectively have endeavoured to score for 35 years – with doyen of their profession, Andre Fabre, personally trying unsuccessfully over three decades – until yesterday; and yet the 19-year-old "knight of the pigskin" Mickael Barzalona scored at his very first attempt! Such are the joys and vicissitudes of racing fate.

A furlong out the afternoon's hero Pour Moi (by Montjeu) had seemed destined to finish no better than fourth. Ten seconds later the question was not whether he would get to the front but whether he would get there in time, a poser emphatically answered when his rider stood up to celebrate in a display of exuberance that earned him a bollocking from the stewards and a one-day suspension.

The 4-to-1 second favourite, Pour Moi pipped the luckless Irish-trained 25-to-1 outsider Treasure Beach by a head, with the public choice, 5-to-2 Carlton House, three-parts of a length away in third. The long-time leader, Memphis Tennessee, hung on to be fourth in a race run in 2:34.54.

Although most of the Magnier/Tabor/Smith runners are sent to Aidan O'Brien in Ireland, Pour Moi found himself at Chantilly. A delighted Michael Tabor told reporters: "It was sensational. He was at the back of the field, but we always knew he had to be ridden that way. It was a tall order to do it like that, but we knew he was very good and it's not a surprise. I could always see him winning from what Andre had told us about the horse."

To place Pour Moi's brilliant effort in proper perspective, one has to note that he came up from dead last to prevail in the final stride. Fabre, who was thrilled, said: "He is such a good horse. He accelerated twice, once to catch up and then again. It is such a pleasure to win this race with my young jockey in front of a big crowd. I couldn't be more happy."

Meanwhile, Barzalona commented: "I always felt confident during the race, and even though I was at the back, the other good horses were just in front of me. For a while, I thought I would be fourth or fifth, but he just accelerated. It is fantastic and I don't realize yet what has happened."

Those associated with Treasure Beach were delighted with his better-than-expected run, although obviously disappointed he could not hang on for another stride or two, while the connections of Carlton House felt their colt had been a trifle unlucky – he was a tad slowly off, came wide around the bend and lost a shoe close home.

Incidentally, but for the fact that Marhaba Malyoon went wrong and finished "tailed off", Castlemorris King would have been last, beaten about 40 lengths...

Investec Oaks
By all accounts the hero of the Investec Oaks on Friday was leading Irish jockey, Johnny Murtagh, whose opportunistic control of the pace of the mile-and-half event played a decisive role in the victory of his mount, Dancing Rain (by Danehill Dancer).

Middle-distance classics at Epsom are rarely won by front-runners and those that are annexed in this fashion have been won by stamina-oriented runners who make all – like Coronach did in 1926. Dancing Rain is by a 6-7 fur. sprinter out of a mare by another 6-7 fur. sprinter in Indian Ridge, so does not quite fit in this category. Her stamina comes from deeper in her pedigree, her dam being a half-sister to the Epsom Derby winner of 2002, Dr Devious.

She set off in the lead at a modest pace which was cleverly slowed down further by Murtagh. By the time everyone woke up, the game chestnut was gone. Tutored by William Haggas, the filly had broken her work rider's leg in a starting stall exercise a month ago, her work rider being none other than the trainer's wife, Maureen, who is also the daughter of Lester Piggott. It is interesting to note that Dancing Rain was her trainer's first Oaks runner and his only Derby runner has been Shaamit – successful in 1996 – so he is unbeaten in Epsom classics!

“I thought one of O’Brien’s would go on but when I saw our filly two lengths clear at the top of the hill with her ears pricked I was very happy,” said Haggas, adding “Johnny gave her a squeeze there and got such a quick response he put her back to sleep again. She was given a great ride. Everything went to plan from a long way out, it was just a question of whether she had enough gas to get home.”

Wonder Of Wonders was well-positioned throughout but could never get nearer and had to remain content with second, while Izzi Top was lucky to get third as she was passed by Blue Bunting close home only for the last-named's rider – Frankie Dettori – to slacken his efforts. The favoured Blue Bunting thus fell back to fourth, presumably costing "place" and "combination" punters severely. As a consequence, Dettori was slapped with a ten-day suspension – a salutary punishment, the magnitude of which needs to be carefully noted by Indian racing officials.

Prix du Jockey Club This year, Aidan O'Brien and the powerful Coolmore team for whom he trains have chosen not to retain a prominent jockey and have been using the services of whichever leading rider is available on major occasions. Ryan Moore has been employed in a number of instances and his next opportunity for a big prize comes today (June 5th) in the Prix du Jockey Club, better known outside France as the French Derby, to be run over 2,100 m. at Chantilly at 6:38 p.m. IST.

Moore is set to partner Roderic O'Connor (by Galileo), who is coming off a win in the Abu Dhabi Irish 2000 Guineas. The experienced colt is poised to give his schooler his first victory in this event after 13 previous attempts have failed to yield a winner.

Also in the 16-strong field is the hero of the French equivalent, Tin Horse (by Sakhee). Trained by Didier Guillemin for the Marqesa de Moratalla, the grey colt has regular pilot Thierry Jarnet at the controls. "The colt is in good form and will leave for Chantilly in the same form as when he travelled to Longchamp for the Poulains", commented his handler.

The highest-rated runner in the field is Casamento (by Shamardal), who disappointed Godolphin's trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni and rider Frankie Dettori last time out with a dismal run behind Frankel in the Qipco 2000 Guineas. Still, a return to his best two-year-old form will give him every chance to emulate his sire, who won this race in 2005.

After Pour Moi's sensational win on Saturday, Baraan (by Dalakhani) comes into the reckoning, for he was the winner of the only race – the Prix La Force – that the former has lost this year. From the yard of Jean-Claude Rouget, Christophe-Patrice Lemaire's mount represents the high-class Aga Khan operation. He is a home-bred but unusually hails from one of America's top female families, his dam having been acquired by Jean Luc Lagardere prior to the acquisition of that breeder's stock by the Aga Khan Studs.

Baraan also beat Prairie Star (by Peintre Celebre) in the Prix La Force, who underlined the form by prevailing in the Prix Hocquart – where he defeated Andre Fabre's charge, Grand Vent (by Shirocco), also in the field this afternoon. The Italian Derby winner Crackerjack King (by Shamardal) will attempt to add some spice to the mix but realistically Baraan, Roderic O'Connor and Tin Horse should form the nucleus from which the winner should emerge.