Frankie Dettori steers Golden Horn to victory in the Epsom Derby with stablemate Jack Hobbs second

Just as he had done in the Dante, Jack Hobbs came off second best, beaten three and a half lengths.

Frankie Dettori on Golden Horn celebrates after winning the Investec Derby. Matthew Childs / Action Images

Epsom // Frankie Dettori and John Gosden teamed up to win the Derby for the first time together when Golden Horn beat his stablemate Jack Hobbs ­yesterday.

There were question marks surrounding Golden Horn’s stamina going in to the race, but those were answered in no uncertain terms as he powered down the straight to win by three-and-a-half lengths.

It was a second win in Britain’s premier Classic for Dettori, who at 44 was the oldest jockey in the 12-runner field, and even on his 20th ride in the race there was no hiding his enthusiasm.

“It is unbelievable,” he said. “It was a brilliant feeling and I had to pinch myself. When you are younger and you do it, you don’t really appreciate the full force of the Derby. It is a huge race.”

Jack Hobbs had been bought by Godolphin after he had followed home his stablemate in the Dante Stakes at York last month and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was present to watch the first run in Godolphin’s royal blue silks.

It looks a shrewd piece of business now and John Ferguson, bloodstock manager to Sheikh Mohammed, was delighted at the run.

“The best thing about this is that he has a big future ahead of him,” Ferguson said. “It was a huge performance.”

Dettori held up his mount behind a decent pace but with 500 metres to go they were still in seventh place.

William Buick then went for home on Jack Hobbs, who cruised past Storm The Stars to assume the lead.

It briefly took Dettori a moment to organise Golden Horn, but when he unleashed his willing partner it took just 200 metres for his mount to catch his stablemate and go on to win.

Gosden, who first won the Derby with Benny The Dip in 1997, said: “The last thing I told Frankie was to ride a cool race. He did that. He waited and he waited. What a great ride. What a horse.”

Earlier in the day in the Group 1 Coronation Cup, the first two home in the Meydan World Cup meeting’s Dubai Sheema Classic, Dolniya and Flintshire, had no answer to the turn of foot of Richard Hannon’s Perther’s Moon.

Pat Dobbs bided his time aboard Perther’s Moon and, as Dolniya’s stride shortened inside the final 200 metres, he pounced to secure the race by a neck and his first Group 1 ­victory.

Dolniya could next head to the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud in France at the end of the month where dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve and seven-time Group 1 winner Cirrus Des Aigles lie in wait.

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