By Frank Keogh BBC Sport at Epsom

Well, I never

Forget the form and halt the guessing, the winner of the 2003 Epsom Derby has been revealed - and it's Alamshar.

Our man Frank gets a red-hot tip at the Amato Inn

Well, it is if you believe the folklore of a pub's wishing well where the name of a Derby contender appears every year.

Regulars at the Amato Inn swear by the annual prediction, which appears in chalk on the well every year before the big race.

It is reputed to be a gipsy tradition which dates back decades, and locals claim it has a 70-80 per cent success rate.

The pub gets calls from around the world from punters desperately asking: 'What's on the well?'

Perhaps it was just as well Alberto Giacometti did not feature as this year's selection - there might not have been room!

Monster munch

With a crowd topping 100,000 expected on Derby Day, these are busy times for the course caterers.

The weighty menu of grub at such occasions always makes mouthwatering reading.

Along with 24,000 cans of beer, 7,000 bottles of champagne and six tons of ice, some 600 lobsters have been ordered.

And how about this for silver service? They need tin foil stretching nine miles - six times the length of the Derby itself.

Safety in numbers

Epsom has landed in a no-win situation with its decision to limit the number of runners to 20 in both its Classics, the Oaks and Derby.

The Derby ended up being oversubscribed and two contenders - Albanov and Skelligs Rock - missed out.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper told this website: "You could have an accident in a race with seven or eight runners, but previously we were at risk of having 30 horses taking part.

"The risk of something happening is increased by the amount of horses on the course."