Tate seeks Beverley boost ahead of tilt at the Derby

Victory in this contest would be a significant boost for the Yorkshireman’s fledgling yard ahead of Mirsaale’s bid for glory in the Investec Epsom Derby on Saturday.

Still only in his second full season as a trainer, Tate hails from an illustrious racing family – his father Tom trains at Tadcaster; his uncle is the legendary Michael Dickinson while his father-in-law is the retired trainer Len Lungo.

The winner of a point-to-point race when just 16, Tate served his racing apprenticeship at Mark Johnston’s Middleham yard where he qualified as a vet in 2004 before moving to Newmarket to set up his own racing yard.

“They’re exciting times,” said Tate, 33. “With a winning two-year-old filly, there are very places to go other than a step up in class so we will know more about Blockade after the Hilary Needler, a race which has always had a fine tradition.

“She only just scrambled home last time at Wolverhampton, but she was probably in front too soon. She was clear at the furlong pole and probably got a bit lonely. We will be much wiser after the race.”

As for the Derby, family bragging rights are on the line when Tate saddles the 100-1 outsider Mirsaale who will be ridden – like Blockade – by Neil Callan.

Following a record-breaking career as a National Hunt trainer based at Harewood, Dickinson saddled only one runner in the Derby after switching to the Flat when Wolf Prince and a young Frankie Dettori finished eighth to Commander In Chief in 1993.

Tate wants to go at least one better and he has grounds for optimism – Mirsaale proved that he could handle Epsom’s contours when winning the Investec Derby Trial at the Surrey track last month. This has to be a plus, even more so given the stamina doubts surrounding the red-hot favourite Dawn Approach.

“His sire, Sir Percy, won a Derby and he did nothing wrong when winning his trial,” said Tate who has certainly inherited his uncle’s infectious enthusiasm for the intricacies of racing.

“Looking at the form book, he has several lengths to find on the majority of the runners, but we are taking our chance and we are confident a mile-and-a-half at Epsom will turn out to be his best conditions.

“Some people talk about the undulations at Epsom and whether it suits their horse, but the race should be a test of whether a champion is equipped to handle the track. I think it is right that the race is on an unconventional track – you don’t have the Cheltenham Festival at Newbury for example.

“I think the Derby is still the race that everyone wants to win. You could argue that Royal Ascot is the meeting – and my parents thought so after Prince Of Johanne won the Royal Hunt Cup last year – but the Derby is still the race.

“We have 60 horses. We had our first runner in the autumn of 2011 and first winner in December 2011. It’s just exciting that Mirsaale has come through and progressed as we expected.”