Battling Munwar

YESTERDAY'S Derby trials produced little to cause the connections of the market leaders to tremble. The odds-on shot Munwar duly won here, but his head victory cut no ice with the bookmakers, who reacted by extending his Epsom odds. And at Leopardstown, the Aga Khan's much-vaunted Shemaran had his colours lowered by the unbeaten Humbel.

Willie Carson had Munwar smartly out of the stalls and set a decent pace on the big, long-striding colt, who answered questions about his ability to handle a gradient by coming down the hill smoothly enough.

He went clear in the straight with his jockey sitting still and, although Carson had to get to work in the final furlong to repel the determined challenge of Riyadian, he won a shade more comfortably than the head verdict suggested.

Munwar's trainer Peter Walwyn, who won the Derby 20 years ago with Grundy, was satisfied rather than ecstatic. He said: "He's a very nice horse who is going the right way, and there will still be improvement in him. He hates the cold weather and still hasn't come in his coat and will benefit from a bit more sun on his back.

"And he's had to do all his own donkey work today. If he runs at Epsom we'll put a pacemaker in to make it easier for him."

Walwyn would not be drawn on comparisons between Hamdan Al Maktoum's Munwar, a son of Kalaglow, and Grundy. He said: "They are two completely different horses. Grundy had brilliant speed, this one is a galloper."

Paul Cole had good reason to be pleased with Riyadian, who was making only his third racecourse appearance, not only for the progress shown by the colt, but also for the fact that he is considered inferior to the stable's other Derby horse, Salmon Ladder, who runs in the Dante Stakes at York on Wednesday. Riyadian could not live with Salmon Ladder when the pair worked over half a mile at Newbury last week.

In Camera finished like a train from off the pace to deprive Balliol Boy of third place, but is not spoken of in the same breath as Pennekamp in the Sheikh Mohammed camp, and is seen as a St Leger prospect.

Humbel's Derby odds tumbled after he caught Shemaran, who will miss Epsom, in the last 100 yards of the 10-furlong Leopardstown race and beat him a neck going away.

His trainer Dermot Weld was delighted, saying: "They went all the way, and that was a proper trial. He's a very tough horse and will love the step up to a mile and a half."

The son of Theatrical, who carries Michael Smurfit's colours, is now 16-1, from 40-1, for the Derby with Ladbrokes, who have Pennekamp at evens and Celtic Swing 2-1 "with a run". The firm then goes 7-1 Presenting, another York runner, 8-1 Munwar (from 7-1) and 12-1 Spectrum and Salmon Ladder.