Wings Of Desire burst onto the Derby scene with a win in the Dante

PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racigpost.com/photos)

WINGS Of DESIRE will follow a tried-and-tested route to the Derby when he emulates last year’s hero, former stablemate Golden Horn, with an appearance at Epsom’s Breakfast With The Stars.

The John Gosden-trained Dante winner will get a feel of the track under big-race jockey Frankie Dettori on Tuesday as Gosden retraces his 2015 footsteps when he took Golden Horn and Jack Hobbs to the morning gallop.

Gosden is not expecting Wings Of Desire to scare away the opposition in the Derby. Instead, the Newmarket trainer anticipates a big field on June 4 headed by a legion of Aidan O’Brien contenders.

Gosden’s Godolphin-owned Linguistic is also still in the equation, although Dante third Foundation, considered unlucky that day, heads to Chantilly for the Prix du Jockey Club.

Andre Fabre is set to bring over Godolphin’s Cloth Of Stars for the popular Epsom morning gathering, while Roger Varian will give Postponed a first look at the course in preparation for the Investec Coronation Cup.

Plenty of respect for O’Brien

Recalling his Derby fourth Lucarno facing eight O’Brien runners in 2007, Gosden said: “I expect Aidan to turn up with six colts at least. US Army Ranger is a bloody good horse, as are Port Douglas and Deauville. I was at Deauville on Sunday and The Gurkha was impressive, but I think he beat Group 3 horses.

“A horse of my wife’s [Crazy Horse] was beaten a length for second. But The Gurkha totally showed he’s a Group 1 horse, so he’s exciting if he runs in the Derby. Who knows, he could run in the St James’s Palace.”

Linguistic still possible for Derby

Dee Stakes runner-up Linguistic is set to push his Derby case in either the Fairway Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, which Lucarno won before running at Epsom, or a day earlier at Goodwood (in the Cocked Hat Stakes, formerly the Predominate).

Gosden said: “He could go to Epsom and could well be supplemented, depending on weather forecasts.”

Wings Of Desire also has to be supplemented, despite being an original entry, after he was taken out when unraced at two.

“I think it was right we took him out of the Derby on March 7 [before he had made his racecourse debut] to go for the King Edward VII Stakes, which we probably would have done if he’d finished third in the Dante.

“I still think it’s a very good idea, but alas I’ve been made a fool of!”