Henry Cecil has a first-class ticket with Bullet Train

BULLET TRAIN can live up to his name and give Henry Cecil another Classic victory in the Investec Derby (4.00pm) at Epsom tomorrow.

The Newmarket trainer has a great record in all our major flat races and has saddled the Derby winner on no less than four occasions amongst his haul of 70 Classic victories world wide.

The Epsom track, with its gradients and twists and turns, is a real test, but Bullet Train earned his place in the line-up when making all the running to win the Lingfield Derby Trial when he showed that he could handle sharp bends and a downhill run with aplomb.

That victory came over a furlong or so shorter than the mile and a half he will tackle tomorrow, but he is by champion sire Saddlers Wells and Cecil is confident his colt has the required stamina.

The three-year-old won his only start as a juvenile when overcoming inexperience to score over a mile at Yarmouth last autumn and needed the outing when runner-up over an extra quarter of a mile on his reappearance at Newbury where he went down with all guns blazing. High Rise, who won the Derby in 1998, is the last horse to come on from Lingfield for Classic glory, but Cecil has often used the Lingfield race as a "prep" for Epsom and I hear that his colt has thrived in the past fortnight.

Irish ace Aiden O'Brien fields his usual strong team, despite the defection of long-time ante-post favourite St Nicholas Abbey. The Coolmore standard bearer is now Jan Vermeer who already has a Group One victory on his CV. The colt was successful over a mile at Gowran Park last term before winning the Grand Criterium at Saint-Cloud in heavy ground, but he showed he can handle any surface when making an impressive reappearance at The Curragh recently on a good to firm surface. He romped home by six lengths there and has twice beaten stable companion Midas Touch who is also in the line-up, having won the Derrinstown Derby Trial at Leopardstown on his reappearance.

Workforce represents Sir Michael Stoute and heads the home challenge as far as the bookies are concerned. They have champion jockey Ryan Moore's mount as the second favourite and the colt has always been in the forefront of the Derby betting since an easy six length victory at Goodwood on his only juvenile start. But I reckon this track may beat him, for he hung so badly when runner-up in the Dante Stakes at York on his reappearnce last month that the bit was pulled clean through his mouth. Antics like that will surely spell disaster here.

Frankie Dettori partners Rewilding who looks best of the Godolphin challengers. He had smart form in France for Andre Fabre last term and was a ready winner at Goodwood recently after moving to Newmarket.

Azmeel could prove the best each-way bet. He won two of his three races last year and was runner-up in the Sandown Classic Trial on his reappearance before winning the Dee Stakes at Chester where he had more in hand than the statistics suggest. He will be ridden by young William Buick who has made such a great start to his new job as first jockey for the colt's trainer John Gosden and I expect a big run, but Bullet Train gets my vote.