Nottingham revelling in Derby schooling ground glory after Desert Crown win

Nottingham racecourse doesn't hit many headlines but officials are rightly proud after Desert Crown won the Cazoo Epsom Derby after making his debut at the East Midlands track.

Desert Crown joins Golden Horn in 2015 and Adayar in 2021 as horses who won early on in their careers at Nottingham before going on to take the premier Classic in the form of the Derby.

Nottingham Clerk Of The Course Tom Ryall was full of pride, calling Desert Crown's Derby victory a "feather in the cap".

Ryall pointed to other top horses winning at Nottingham:"Oath won here before he went on to win the Derby (1999). Oh So Sharp won here before she went on to win the Oaks (1985). Slip Anchor won here, too, before winning the Derby (1985)," he said.

"I am relatively new here, having taken over at the end of last season, but people have always said our backend of season maidens over a mile, you could run a full card of them they are that well-supported. They are guaranteed to split and get two divisions of a mile maiden at Nottingham in October."

It seems that Nottingham is a proving ground for juvenile horses with plenty of two-year-olds being sent to the East Midlands to test their suitability for Classics and the like.

"I suppose it is a fair, galloping track," said Ryall.

"They use it to teach the horse. If you walk it, there are a few undulations from what you see on the TV.

"That is our third Derby winner in seven seasons to have won a maiden at the backend of their two-year-old season and we are naturally delighted. It is a feather in the cap.

"We take a lot of pride in that it is a proving ground for Derby winners and while all year round we might not stage the best racing, come October time, we could have a future champion.

"Even Mishriff won round here as a two-year-old, Blue Point, there are a few. The list is pretty good."