Godolphin to aim three at Derby

Godolphin are to pose their most serious challenge at winning the Investec Derby for some years, after buoyant chief executive John Ferguson confirmed the intention to send a team of three to next month's big race.

Minutes after seeing Beautiful Romance win the Group Two Middleton Stakes, giving Saeed bin Suroor his third winner from just four runners at the meeting, Ferguson was already looking forward to this weekend and beyond in search of the big-race success that Sheikh Mohammed seemingly made it clear he expects - and soon.

It was good to see Suroor back in the winner's enclosure. He will surely be privately wishing that one of the five horses Godolphin have earmarked for the Epsom or French Derbies was in his care, but his success on the Knavesmire this week confirms that his team are in good shape and capable of playing a big part in Godolphin's renaissance.

Ferguson and the trainer independently agreed that Beautiful Romance was "a genuine Group One filly", although one suspects that if that win is to come at the highest level, it might need to be against her own sex, and possibly without Minding or So Mi Dar in opposition - the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville in August, perhaps.

This Saturday, Godolphin will run four in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury - a welcome dusting-off for the blue, white, red and even the black caps in a Group One. Just like the old days, even if one of the quartet was only brought into the team on Monday when Dutch Connection was signed up.

"Nobody enjoys that sort of thing more than Sheikh Mohammed and hopefully that's what we can continue to do," Ferguson said. "I'm really looking forward to the Lockinge. We need to run these horses so that we can make plans going forward. Not only do we have these races in Britain and Ireland but the boss is very keen that we target some of the big turf races in America through the summer.

"Home Of The Brave could be that kind of horse and another is Safety Check, who did so well in Hong Kong [fifth in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin] and in the Zabeel Mile at Meydan. There's a race called the Fourstar Dave at Saratoga in August and that could be a race for him, and Home Of The Brave could go to Woodbine.

"It's a lovely big world out there and the most important thing is that Godolphin can compete internationally on the biggest stage."

As for his Investec Derby team, Ferguson offered upbeat reports on all three of his possible runners - two of whom (in common with Dante winner Wings of Desire) will require supplementing for 80,000 pounds. Who'd have thought Epsom's stated goal of reaching a 1.5million pounds prize money pot for the race might come a year earlier than expected

"After the Prix Greffuhle, Andre [Fabre] was obviously delighted with the performance of Cloth Of Stars, as was Mickael [Barzalona], and he felt the options were there for us - either over a mile and a half, or a mile and a quarter in the Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly," he said.

"Andre felt a mile and a half over a strong pace was what the horse deserved right now, and that the horse had matured sufficiently to mean that the idea of going for an Epsom Derby wouldn't daunt him, so he is a horse that has come through the ranks and deserves to be close to the front in the betting for the Derby.

"Moonlight Magic was obviously a very, very good two-year-old. He went to Leopardstown, the ground was very heavy that day, and he came back and his scope was a little dirty after that. He put up a real good performance on Sunday. The thing about him is that he is bred to get the trip, like Cloth of Stars, being by Cape Cross out of a Lammtarra mare. They both have pedigrees that give them really good chances of improving at a mile and a half and that's always a big asset in the Derby.

"John is keen to continue with the idea of going for the Derby with Linguistic. He was only beaten narrowly in the Dee. He felt he learned an awful lot that day and if John Gosden feels we have a horse good enough to go for the Derby, then who are we to disagree with him?

"We might have considered splitting them up but Epsom seems the right race for all of them and we've got Newmarket Stakes winner Hawkbill going for the Jockey-Club and we might have a horse called Floodlight too - he was second on Monday at Chantilly. Whether we go there or not isn't decided with him, but he does need to step up to a mile and a quarter."