Free Agent drops out of Derby picture

Ireland further strengthened its grip on the Investec Derby as The Queen's Free Agent lost his unbeaten record in the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood.

With the winner of the final trial for Epsom, Alwaary, also immediately ruled out of the Classic, John Oxx's Sea The Stars and Aidan O'Brien's strong hand of entries dominate the ante-post betting.

Free Agent had been a 33-1 chance for big-race glory prior to his reappearance, with setbacks having kept him off the track since his Royal Ascot success last summer.

But the Richard Hannon-trained colt could only finish fourth of the five runners behind John Gosden's successful Alwaary.

Hannon said: 'There is going to be no Derby for him. We will put him in the King Edward over a mile and a half and two-mile Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot.

'He came there to win his race but didn't go through with it and might have needed it a bit. He has run a good, sound race - I know he is a decent horse and we want to have runners for Her Majesty at Ascot.'

The 5-1 winner had blown away the cobwebs with a fourth-placed effort in the Lingfield Derby trial, and Gosden said: 'We went to Lingfield to just get him back on the track and he suddenly blossomed after it.

'The race got his whole metabolic rate tuned up and we wouldn't normally run back this quick but the owner gave us special permission.

'He is in the Derby but I think that would be unwise so I would like to say - if it is OK with the owner (Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum) - that he has run a fabulous prep for the King Edward VII.

'Debussy will go to the Derby and Nehaam is more likely for the Hampton Court at Ascot. Someone has to turn up in the Derby for England and the race does look between John Oxx and Aidan O'Brien.'

La Pantera had earlier provided Hannon with a trip to the winner's enclosure after justifying her tag as the 11-4 favourite in the EBF Cucumber Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

Hannon has had an enviable record in the race and saddled this month's French 1000 Guineas winner, Elusive Wave, to victory in 2008 before her sale to Jean-Claude Rouget.

Hannon commented: 'She was brave to come through horses like that and could be a nursery filly later on.'