THE DERBY, Epsom: Saturday 6 June, 1545 BST
Coverage: Full TV coverage from Epsom on Friday and Saturday on BBC2 and BBC1 and the BBC Sport website. Radio coverage is on BBC Radio 5 Live and live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobiles.

By Clare Balding BBC racing presenter

I love the Grand National, but a horse could run in that race five times whereas a horse has got one hit and one hit only at winning the Derby.

Sea the Stars won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket

And that's what makes it so special, it's the ultimate unknown.

None of these horses have run a mile-and-half before at Epsom and you wonder who is going to capture their one moment in time. Some will rise to the occasion and some won't.

You have very young, very highly strung and finely bred animals that must quickly deal with the excitement of the parade, the noise of the crowd, getting down the whole of the mile-and-a-half to the start and the contours of the course.

It's really thrilling when they turn round Tattenham Corner and come thundering downhill.

There are so many Derby's I could just watch again and again. Who could forget in 2007 when Authorized showed that burst of speed? You knew Frankie Dettori was going to win his first Derby.

It's just pure excitement all the way. And the whole day has got such a big event feel to it.

There are massive crowds, open-topped buses and people on the infield in T-shirts and shorts with picnics.

At one end you've got sheikhs, princes and queens and at the other you've got pearly kings and queens telling fortunes.

I think this is set to be one of the highest quality and exciting Derbys that I can remember.

Sea the Stars is the favourite and he won the 2000 Guineas despite not being at his peak that day.

He was still good enough to win it and cruised through and looks a very straightforward, easy ride.

We know he is brilliant, we know he has got a natural tactical speed and we know he is a beautiful-looking horse, but even his trainer John Oxx doesn't know whether he is going to last the mile-and-a-half Epsom course.

There is the added element this year that Sea the Stars' jockey, Mick Kinane, is going to turn 50 in a month's time and he is going to be riding the favourite for the Derby.

606: DEBATE Does Aiden O'Brien know which is his best horse? readyornot

There aren't many other sports where you can have that sort of longevity - he won his first Derby in 1993 when some of the jockeys riding at the weekend were barely born.

It's also interesting that the last jockey to win it in his 50s was Willie Carson and the last jockey to have ridden the same horse to win the Guineas and the Derby was Willie Carson. Could Kinane do the same on Saturday?

With another of the favourites, Fame and Glory, you know he will almost certainly stay.

He won a very good Derby trial at Leopardstown that's produced three recent Derby winners Sinndar, High Chaparral and Galileo and he has got very good credentials.

But Johnny Murtagh has chosen not to ride him as he clearly thinks Rip Van Winkle out of Aidan O'Brien's stable has more of a chance.

Legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien sadly died this week

Of course, the legendary Vincent O'Brien sadly died this week and this will naturally prompt a tremendous public will to get behind the Ballydoyle horses.

It would seem somewhat fitting if one of their troop of six were to win it and I sense a stronger goodwill behind them than in some years.

They have an embarrassment of riches and in an ordinary year Black Bear Island would be a Derby contender, but this year he is only third or fourth choice of the O'Brien runners and that shows just how strong they are.

I'd love for Mick Channon's horse to run well. Montaff has gone very close in Classics without winning one so it would be a great story.

Dettori hasn't won the Derby yet for his boss Sheikh Mohammed and he'd love to do it, but the Godolphin horses aren't really firing at the moment.

Frankie is on Kite Wood, who was a bit disappointing in the Dante and they aren't making noises of any confidence. It's too early in the season to write anything off, though, so who knows what he could produce.

Obviously this is the first meeting I have presented at since the Grand National and I am very pleased to be back.

While I have got the opportunity I'd like to thank all those on the BBC website who have sent me their best wishes. I'm glad to say I'm doing fine, my voice is back to normal and I'm really looking forward to Epsom.

Clare's Derby prediction

1) Sea the Stars 2) Fame and Glory 3) Golden Sword

Clare Balding was speaking to BBC Sport's Paul Birch

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version