Dettori keen on Naheef

Frankie Dettori believes Vodafone Derby challenger Naheef is his 'best chance' yet to land the Epsom showpiece.

Dettori has won every other British Classic twice, but he has never been successful in the blue riband.

And the rider is confident the son of Marju can put a disappointing effort in the Sagitta 2000 Guineas firmly behind him when he steps up to a mile and a half on Saturday.

Naheef had a five-furlong spin on the Limekilns with Dettori on board this morning and the popular Italian is pleased with the horse`s progress since Newmarket, where he finished 14th of the 22 runners.

He said: 'The horse has done really well since the Guineas. He`s been improving and it`s very positive.

'I always thought, even as a two-year-old, that a mile and half is where he will come into his own and find his stride.'

Naheef has already demonstrated a liking for the Surrey track, having won over seven furlongs there on his racecourse debut as a juvenile.

'Epsom is a very peculiar track with it`s undulations and it is the ultimate test for a racehorse,' Dettori said. 'You need a horse which is well-balanced and can accelerate. What you don`t want is a giant of a horse that struggles to get round the turns.

'Naheef seems the perfect horse for the race _ he`s well-balanced and he has the speed.

'I have been saying all along he is a Derby horse. We knew he didn`t have the pace and speed to tackle the best milers.'

Naheef comes from the same staying family as last year`s Irish Oaks winner Lailani and he showed himself a smart two-year-old when taking the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before finishing second to current Derby favourite Hawk Wing in the National Stakes at The Curragh.

'This is the first Derby horse I am riding which is suited for the race,' explained the rider. 'Cape Verdi wasn`t a Derby runner until after she won the Guineas while Dubai Millennium wasn`t until two or three weeks before the race.

'Most of the horses I have ridden have not been suited by the race. This is my best chance.'

However, racing manager Simon Crisford has a slightly more cautious outlook than Dettori.

He said: 'He was the one horse that was disappointing in the Guineas. We though he was good enough to finish in the first four.

'He ran a very good trial race in Dubai and he`s a horse that is peaking at the right time and we hope he can run a good race.

'I don`t think we can have any more confidence at this time as it is the Derby. He`s going to have to show something we have never seen before if he`s going to win.'

Dettori not surprisingly rates the Ballydoyle duo of Hawk Wing and High Chaparral as the greatest dangers.

'All the runners are the best around and the size of the field will give Hawk Wing more chance to stay. There`ll be no traffic problems which would have made it difficult with more in the race.

'We can make cases for five or six in the race. Hawk Wing showed tremendous acceleration in the Guineas but horses with speed have found it hard to stay in the past.

'High Chaparral has always been the Ballydoyle Derby horse. He`s bred to stay _ they have a good hand in the Derby.

'And you can`t take away the good performance of Bandari. Any horse that wins by 13 lengths you must respect.'

Godolphin`s other runner Moon Ballad, the mount of Jamie Spencer in the big race, also had a five-furlong spin today.

The Convergent Dante Stakes winner looked in good form as he worked with Summoner and Crisford believes the son of Singspiel may also have Epsom claims on the back of his York performance.

He said: 'His run at York was very good. It was a great tactical ride from Jamie Spencer. People may question his stamina and we are concerned about the mile and a half but Epsom is the type of track to suit a horse like Moon Ballad.'

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor believes the key to Moon Ballad will be if he can relax before the race at Epsom.

The handler said: 'He`s a very good horse. He was a nervous all the time and for the Derby he will have to be relaxed in the race. A mile and a quarter may be the best trip for him but I think he will stay and he`s very tough and game.'

Crisford says the Godolphin team feel much more relaxed about their preparations this time round.

He added: 'We won the Derby very early in our life as Godolphin (with Lammtarra in 1995), but it means everything to win it again.

'With Cape Verdi and Dubai Millennium the pressure was on. We are pretty relaxed about it this time because we have seen it all before.'