Midterm passes his Derby Trial examination at Sandown

Midterm was already the second-favourite for the Derby before he went to post for the bet365.com Classic Trial here on Friday, and he duly passed the first test of his three-year-old season, beating Algometer by a length-and-a-half with the rest of the field at least eight lengths further adrift.

With a view to the Derby in June, however, it was hard to rate Midterm’s performance as anything more than a solid B, and his prominence in the ante-post betting still owes more to his pedigree and connections than his proven ability on the track.

This was Sir Michael Stoute’s fourth victory in a race which set Shergar and Shahrastani, two of his five Derby winners, on the road to Epsom. Midterm’s breeding, meanwhile, could scarcely be more exclusive, as he is by Galileo, the outstanding middle-distance stallion of the last decade, out of Midday, the winner of six Group Ones in three different countries.

Their son is promising and still unbeaten, but he also still has improvement to find and much to learn. He also has a shrinking window in which to complete his education if the Derby on 4 June is to be a realistic target. He travelled well through the first mile here and then cruised towards the lead inside the final quarter, but he did not quicken clear and allowed Algometer to draw alongside with a furlong to run.

When Ryan Moore asked for more effort, Midterm saw off the challenge comfortably enough. Another race will surely be essential before the Derby, however, not least because Midterm is notoriously lazy at home.

“He’s got a great temperament at home, he’s very relaxed, but when you saddle him, he comes alive,” Stoute said. “He’s never done an impressive piece of work [but] he’s such a quality athlete.

“He had to go and perform there to even consider going to the Derby. Now it will either be Chester [in early May] or York [the following week].”

Few bookmakers could resist the chance to clip a point or two from Midterm’s price for the Derby, and he is now a general 6-1 chance for the Classic with only Aidan O’Brien’s US Army Ranger, at 5-1, in front of him.

Toormore, the top-rated juvenile colt of 2013, started his fourth competitive season with victory in the Group Two bet365 Mile, offering hope that he might yet add to the sole Group One success of his career, in the National Stakes almost three years ago.

Toormore kicked for home two out under William Buick but Dutch Connection traded at 1-4 in-running as he moved up to head him a furlong from home. Toormore found more when asked, however, and stayed on strongly to win by a neck.

Richard Hannon’s colt is now expected to head for the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, and can be backed at 8-1 to go one better than his second-place finish last year.

My Dream Boat, who was running in handicaps this time last year, defied a penalty to beat Western Hymn, the odds-on favourite, in the Group Three Gordon Richards Stakes, his first race at a mile-and-a-quarter.

“We had him in the mile race here today as well, but when we looked at the entries, we were pleased to step up even with a penalty and it’s paid off,” Clive Cox, the winner’s trainer, said.

“He was pleasing me at home and he’s confirmed that it is a step in the right direction. I don’t see why we wouldn’t think about the Brigadier Gerard Stakes [in May], I just really wanted to take the step here first before we thought any further.

“He was rated 76 when he won at Doncaster last year, so it’s a thrill to have a horse on such an upward curve. I really think we’re going to have a lot of fun with him.”