Dear My Friend sparks Derby dream for Middleham Park Racing

Nick Robson
April 7, 2023 1:00 pm

Burradon Stakes winner could head to Epsom in June.

Dear My Friend marked himself as a smart prospect by winning the talkSPORT Burradon Stakes, the opening event on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Newcastle.

Trained by Charlie Johnston, the son of Pivotal won his first two outings at two before being highly tried in Pattern company in his final three starts of the campaign.

Placed efforts at Deauville and in Newmarket’s Zetland Stakes was enough to convince connections to add the colt to the Derby earlier this week and he justified that belief at Gosforth Park.

Great start for @MprUpdates! Dear My Friend wins the Listed talkSPORT Burradon Stakes at @NewcastleRaces for @the_doyler and @Johnston_Racing! pic.twitter.com/WQoMkvfRjB
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 7, 2023

James Doyle was in no rush aboard the Middleham Park Racing-owned charge in the early stages, but came home with a flourish and his proven stamina saw him always holding Karl Burke’s runner-up Flight Plan inside the final furlong.

The winning rider said: “We got squashed at the start. It was a funny race, we dawdled and then one took off which opened the race up. We got sucked into the race nicely and I knew his stamina would come into play, he galloped out strong.

“You’d think he’d stay 10 furlongs fine but he’s quite a strong traveller so over 12 he would have to settle better, he was quite fresh today with it being his first run. He would need to relax a bit better but these Johnston horses do stay well.”

A 100-1 shot for Epsom prior to this Listed event, Paddy Power were suitably impressed with the performance and shortened Dear My Friend to 40-1 for the Classic on June 3.

Dear My Friend ridden by James Doyle (centre) wins the talkSPORT Burradon Stakes at Newcastle Racecourse (Richard Sellers/PA)

He will now test his credentials for that assignment in a Derby trial, with Johnston nominating York’s Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes on May 18 as a next port of call.

“Fair play to Mike (Prince, of Middleham Park) as when I phoned him this week to say we were putting him in the Dante, he said let him have a think about the Derby and I’ll ring back. That was solely his idea,” said Johnston.

“Looking at that today, 10 furlongs looks perfect but 12 might be just too far. A lot went wrong today, he got flattened at the start, he was quite far back and had to make up a lot of ground through the middle of the race. I thought that might tell in the last 100 yards.

“Fair play to the horse, he knuckled down. The obvious thing would be to go to the Dante next but I’ll speak to Mike first.”

Prince, representing the owners, added: “He was always keen as a two-year-old but he had cover today. It was a messy race, they crawled and then sprinted but his stamina came into play. He’s got a lovely, long stride.

“We put him in the Dante and Derby this week and he’ll certainly go for a Derby trial and the plan is to go to Epsom, we think he’ll stay. I was worried he’d be too keen to stay but he showed today with cover he’s fine.

“We’ve never had a runner in the Derby so that would be a first for us, it would be a dream come true.

“We had a stellar season last year, our best ever, and we thought it might be tough to top that but we’ve started well.”