Hills Alive Tajaaweed on Course for Epsom

Richard Hills rode Tajaaweed to victory in the Dee Stakes at Chester yesterday, and it looks certain the next stop is Epsom and the Derby for the pair.

Hills was adamant afterwards that the winner is his employer Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's best chance of a winner in racing's Blue Riband. "He's a very big sort of horse and he's overcome a lot of obstacles and showed a nice turn of foot in the end. He's very tall and we thought a lot of him last year so he was thrown in at the deep end very quickly but he's wintered very well," said the winning rider.

Tajaaweed, who is trained by Sir Michael Stoute, is a best-priced 16-1 across the board for the Derby and will need to improve to figure, but he is a superb looking individual and sure to win more races however he performs around Tattenham Corner.

Macarthur, who easily won the Ormonde Stakes after quickening up in superb style off the home bend, is another guaranteed to add to this victory. Aidan O'Brien's runner has always been highly rated and jockey Johnny Murtagh said: "He loved the ground here today and he's a high-class horse. I think he has a big future."