At first glance you think it’s crazy that twice-started Desert Crown, who has no more than a Group 3 win, is heavily favored to in the Derby at Epsom on Saturday. Then you watch those two races and start to understand. The first came at Nottingham last Nov. 3, Desert Crown’s lone start at age 2. Nottingham is no major English racecourse, but it does have left-handed turns, a couple of them sudden and sharp like those at Epsom, though Nottingham is relatively flat and Epsom exceedingly undulating. Debuting Desert Crown coped with those turns, and the turn of foot he showed through that maiden race’s final quarter-mile, which he ran more than a full second faster than any of his 10 rivals, makes one wonder if the colt’s trainer, Michael Stoute, already had the Derby in mind last fall. Stoute has five Derby wins, the first in 1981 with Shergar, the last in 2010 with Workforce. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Workforce prepped for the Derby in the Dante Stakes at York, finishing second to Cape Blanco. Desert Crown was second to none in the Dante, coming into contention under Derby jockey Richard Kingscote without being asked and dashing flashily home to win by 3 1/4 lengths over Royal Patronage, a good colt himself and part of the 17-runner Derby field. Desert Crown’s professional racing attitude belies his lack of experience, but all that will be put to the test Saturday in this 1 1/2-mile classic. Desert Crown, by Nathaniel, is no sure thing to see out the Derby’s trip, though he is well drawn in post 10 and should have ample pace to chase. While it’s been 12 years since Stoute won a Derby, trainer Aidan O’Brien has won six of the last 10, and his three-pronged entry this year includes second choice Stone Age, bred and part-owned by Peter Brant. Stone Age, the mount of Ryan Moore, should stay the 1 1/2 miles, but his approach to racing has not been as straightforward as Desert Crown’s. Stone Age, by Galileo, went winless in five starts at age 2, though he raced competitively in all of them, save a try over heavy ground that didn’t suit him, and just missed winning the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October. His connections evidently decided over the winter to stop fighting to settle Stone Age off the pace in his races; he went to the front in his two starts this year, both easy wins over lesser foes, and was impressive both times. Stone Age drew post 4 and might sit just behind another O’Brien entrant in Changingoftheguard, who comes into the Derby following wire-to-wire wins in an all-weather Dundalk maiden and over the highly regarded New London in the 1 9/16-mile Chester Vase. Changingoftheguard relishes front-running but does not pull too hard, and could be dangerous if left alone too long. Wayne Lordan has the mount. O’Brien’s third starter is Star Of India, who won the listed Dee Stakes at Chester in his Derby prep. Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, winners of the Derby last year with Adayar and in 2018 with Masar, also have three runners, including third choice Nations Pride, supplemented into the Derby after winning the 10-furlong Newmarket Stakes by seven lengths over Hoo Ya Mal, a Derby longshot. That was Nations Pride’s fourth win in a row following two all-weather successes and a Dubai dirt romp. The talent’s there, but Nations Pride might not quite be Derby-winning material and never has faced anything like the challenges of the Epsom course. :: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more The grand-looking Appleby-trained Walk Of Stars might be a better option at a longer price. He was caught with no cover for nearly the entirety of the 1 7/16-mile Derby Trial at Lingfield and performed admirably enough finishing a close second. Piz Badile starts for Donnacha O’Brien, Aidan’s son, and has his Derby supporters – for good reason. A fluid traveler with strong acceleration, Piz Badile has been forced into tough rail runs his last two starts, including a game win April 2 at Leopardstown in the 10-furlong Ballysax Stakes, where he came back after being passed to nip Buckaroo. The Epsom course as of Thursday was labeled good to soft. Weather forecasters diverge – there may or may not be meaningful rain before race time. Post time is 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Catch all the action at DRFBets.com.