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This is my list in order of merit of best ever riding performances in the history of the Epsom Derby.
1.Lester Piggot on Roberto in 1972
No other jockey would have triumphed .It was Lester’s supreme skill,magic touch or dexterity that held sway to overcome the great Rheingold.Lester tuned his run with the perfection of a Conductor guiding a symphony displaying the power of a motorboat and the artistry of a painter.Arguably unfairly Lester jocked of Bill williamson from the ride but it is hard to conceive Roberto winning with him astride.Arguably Piggot was too hard on the whip and would not have been allowed under present day rules.On the other hand Rheinglod too leaned haevily on Roberto.
2.Lestor Pigggot on the Minstrel in 1977
Lester revealed finishing power in regions of divinity with the race simply at Hot Grove’s Mercy.It was a majestic sight witnessing Lester galvanize all the energy of the Minstrel in the closing stages to enable the chestnut colt to prevail by a neck at the winning post over Hot Grove.
3.Willie Carson on Ehraab in 1994
On this day Willy revealed wizardry on the racetrack at depths rarely revealed.Ehraab was virtually dead and buried over a furlong out with Kings Theatre cantering home.before Carson ressurected him to reach the pinnacle of glory.It is hard at times to even imagine Piggot riding better.It was reminiscent of a brilliant tactical move at the very last moment by an army batallion in war to clinch a battle or a master move of a chess player to triumph.
4.Lestor Piggot on Sir Ivor in 1968
The burst Sir Ivor unleashed in the last furlong was similar to an impact of a 360 degree twist and turn in the climax of a Hollywood epic.2 furlongs out Connaught was coasting home four lengths clear before Lester’s magical touch tapped the reservoirs of energy of his ward .In the manner of a dynamite exploding Sir Ivor flew past Connaught to win going away.Piggot exhibited his tactical genius conserving all the energies of the colt before brilliantly timing his run at the end.
5.Greville Starkey on Shirley Heights in 1978
Hawain Sound looked home and dry 100 years out before Greville unleashed a spectacular run on the rails to collar the leader.Starkey revealed timing to perfection with great finishing power.Reminiscent of brilliant last ditch move by chess player to clinch game.
6.Steve Cauthen on Reference Point in 1987
One of the best performance ever riding in front.Cauthen brilliantly conserved the resrvoirs of energy of his ward striking a perfect balance,by not letting get too far ahead .In the end he let his horse go in the last 2 furlongs to convincingly win.
7.Walter Swinburn on Lammtarra
Isnpite of being 6 lengths arrears with a furlong to go Lammtarra gave one of the most sporadic burst ever seen in the Derby.Like a flash of lightning coming from no mans land he passed Tamhure.Walter must be given credit for timing the finish so perfectly.
8.Pat Eddery on Golden Fleece in 1982
Rarely in a race has any colt given such an electrifying burst with Eddery showing perfect understanding of the colt.
9.Steve Cauthen on Slip Anchor in 1985
An all the way winner prevailing with mercurial ease.Still marvellous riding display by Cauthen out in front ,tapping resrves of energy to perfection by not letting him zoom out too much in front.
10.Willie Carson on Troy in 1979
At the bend Tory was down and out at 7th place before ressurecting like a phoenix from the Ashes .Credit to Carson for postioning him so perfectly before making his final surge.
There is a bit of a bias towards the recent here. There must have been plenty of great riding performances before 1968.
One of them was Lester’s second Derby on Crepello in 1957. To ride a horse with delicate legs around a track like Epsom, keep him balanced and win easily was one of the best rides ever. Unfortunately, Crepello was a Derby winner who never ran again.
I would have Cauthen’s ride on Slip Anchor higher. It was a supremely confident ride. I would also give a shout for Kinane’s ride on Sea The Stars. He was on the best horse but kept it simple, won with the minimum of fuss and ensured the horse still had plenty left in the tank for the rest of the season.
A story about Carson and Erhaab. I was at Newbury two days after Erhaab had won the Dante so impressively in what appeared to be a very fast time. Leaning against the paddock rail as the jockeys mounted for race two, I realised I was stood next to Jim McGrath (Timeform Jim, not Aussie Jim).
As Carson went past in the Mellon colours, he looked across at Jim and said ‘What was the figure?’. McGrath replied ‘128, all you’ll have to do is steer’.
It didn’t take too much brainpower to work out what horse they were discussing! The only thing I didn’t know for sure was whether the number was a 128 TF rating, or a 128 timefigure, but either way it was going to be plenty good enough for an average Derby.
But I doubt if he was ever too worried during the race, knowing what he believed he had in hand.
@Cork_All_Star Could you name some more outstanding Derby rides before 1970?Gordon Richards on Pinza ,Toomy Weston on Hyperion?
What about Geoff Lewis on Mill Reef in 1971 ?Or Walter Swinburn on Shahrastani in 1986?
If “best performance” is defined as “no other jockey would have won that” I would say Lester Piggot in the 1972 and 1977 renewals with Roberto and The Minstrel.
Both brutal rides mind.
So I agree with harshthakor
The win on Sir Ivor was oh so stylish stylish but I think plenty of other jocks would have won that one.
Steve Cauthen on Slip Anchor and Reference Point very good too. Boy did Steve have a clock in his head.
It was a poor standard Derby he won, but he shouldn’t have won it. Fallon was inspired on Kris Kin.
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On the subject of The Minstrel – in Ivor Herbert’s biography of Vincent O’Brien, he wrote that O’Brien thought that Piggot’s riding of the colt in the King George was one of the two worst rides the jockey had given to one of his horses, as he hit the front too soon giving Orange Bay time to rally. Still find this hard to believe that this is true as given that The Minstrel took so long to grind down Hot Grove at Epsom, you would have expected connections wanting to ensure he got there with time to spare. This was Orange Bay’s best performance in his time with Walwyn though he did arrive with the reputation of being the best horse from Italy since Ribot. It’s a great race to watch from start to finish, a real Piggott get the job done – though if Herbert is correct in his book, then I’m way off the mark. Have a print of The Minstrel cantering to post for that race which they were selling in Pacemaker later that year.
Not the strongest Derby by any means but I guess a case could be made for Willie Carson for steering Henbit to win the race on virtually three legs.
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Piggot on Roberto and The Minstrel weren’t great rides they were BRUTAL rides not exactly showing finesse just beating the bejayzuz out of em! For me that doesn’t constitute a great ride.
IMO Steve Cauthen on Slip anchor and Reference Point were the best rides for finesse and tactical nous clsely followed by Oli on High Rise
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