DESPITE fears about the fast ground at Epsom, the smart money will still be on Motivator (4.20) to win this afternoon's Vodafone Derby.

Michael Bell's unbeaten colt maintained his 100 per cent record by running away with last month's Dante Stakes at York, traditionally the best Derby trial over recent years.

"He's the one they've all got to beat," said his mild-mannered trainer, not normally given to such bullish confidence.

Having seen Motivator for myself in the parade ring on the Knavesmire, I couldn't agree more because the three-year-old son of Montjeu really does have an air of star quality about him.

Tall, muscular, and with a definite swagger in his step, Motivator matches his good looks with the sort of long, raking stride reserved for only the very highest class of thoroughbred.

His trademark burst of rapier-like acceleration, so evident in two scintillating starts as a juvenile, clearly did not desert him during the long, cold winter, since when returning at York it was just a case of "how far" once jockey Johnny Murtagh kicked in the turbo.

"He's a fizzy type of colt but all great horses have to prove they can handle the big occasion," said Murtagh, lucky to be riding having had a recent ban reduced from three days to two, thus allowing him to take part in today's proceedings.

Apart from Motivator's clear-cut success, the rest of picture has been muddling in the lead up to the £1.25m showpiece.

Second favourite, Gypsy King, one of four runners from Aidan O'Brien's camp, ran as green as grass when scraping home in his trial at Chester. Following that unconvincing effort, it's surely open to question whether even Kieren Fallon's genius can persuade Gypsy King to corner with sufficient fluency.

Godolphin's Dubawi, winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas, is similarly wayward, with a tendency to hang all over the shop when Frankie Dettori goes for maximum thrust.

Amazingly, with all of Sheikh Mohammed's firepower at his disposal, Dettori, still reeling from Thursday's suspension which rules him out of Royal Ascot at York, has never won the Derby, unlike Murtagh (2) and Fallon (3), who have totally dominated the event with five wins from six since 1999.

My two to follow Motivator home are The Geezer, second to the selection in the Dante, plus Unfurled, representing John Dunlop, who knows what it takes having twice previously sent out the winner of the ultimate mile-and-a-half test.

Richard Quinn had the choice between The Geezer, trained by David Elsworth, and Dunlop's pair of Kong and Unfurled.

Quinn, one of the senior rider in the weighing room, knows his onions and was in absolutely no doubt that 10-1 shot, The Geezer, is the pick of the trio.

He's wealthy enough not to be quaking in his boots at the thought of being made to look like a chump, however I reckon Unfurled at odds of 33-1 is worth an each-way saver.

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