Ed Walker is relishing the prospect of having a genuine Derby contender in his ranks and will not be taking any risks with English King.
With Tom Marquand taking the ride, English King was held at the back of the seven-runner field in a briskly run race before stealthily making his way through to challenge Berkshire Rocco from around a furlong out.
His rival simply had no answer for the son of Camelot’s surge, with English King going on to seal a commanding win by two and three-quarter lengths.
The victory strengthened claims for a Derby success and Walker insists he will not be taking any risks ahead of the blue riband.
Walker said: “The Derby is one of those races that gets me going, so it is very exciting to have a live contender, God willing – we still have a long way to go.
“Bjorn (Nielsen, owner) and I chatted about it beforehand and we both agreed that if we had a genuine Derby horse on our hands we needed to win and win very easily.
“I know the distance wasn’t that far from Berkshire Rocco, but I think he did it pretty easily. He is that kind of horse, he’s not a horse who will win a race by 10 lengths, that’s not his style and his home work would suggest that as well. He’s a cool dude.
“It’s not ideal (having had just three career starts), but we’re not in an ideal world right now. I definitely wouldn’t cram one (another run) in, it was pretty quick ground out there too and we need to get him home and make sure he’s in one piece. We’ll freshen him up again for Epsom in a month’s time, I think it would be reckless to try to squeeze in another one.”
