Racing: Gypsy King's antics in Dee Stakes baffle bookmakers

Gypsy King did everything wrong in the Dee Stakes here yesterday and still won. It was a triumph for ability over callowness. Epsom now beckons.

Gypsy King did everything wrong in the Dee Stakes here yesterday and still won. It was a triumph for ability over callowness. Epsom now beckons.

The merit of Gypsy King's triumph is not simple to fathom. Some bookmaking firms cut him to favourite for the Derby, others left him alone, while one actually lengthened his odds for the Blue Riband.

The telling statistic of the contest was that Gypsy King was trading at 50-1 in running, such was the immaturity he displayed. Only off the final turn did victory become a distinct possibility and then only a typical Fallon punch in the closing stages secured a short-head win from 33-1 outsider Im Spartacus.

Yet it was impossible to deny that Gypsy King must benefit greatly from this tutorial. The big exam is coming up fast. "I couldn't believe it," O'Brien said. "I knew he was going to be green with the work he missed. I'm surprised he won to tell you the truth. He had a lot of things to overcome, a lot to learn, but he was very brave."

There are other Derby trials to come, other Ballydoyle colts to consider for the Blue Riband, but it appears Fallon's mind is already made up.

"I was impressed with him," the jockey said. "He felt really good today. He has showed me nothing at all at home. It was like riding a different horse. He's an Epsom horse."