Picture of the day – May 1

Crepello has the distinction of being Lester Piggott’s first 2000 Guineas winner, although the horse’s physical frailty saw him bow out after just a handful of runs.

Trained by Sir Noel Murless, Crepello had three juvenile starts, winning the Dewhurst on his final outing to mark himself out as a leading contender for the 1957 Classics.

Owned and bred by Sir Victor Sassoon, Crepello always raced with bandaged forelegs and Murless opted to head straight to the Guineas without a prep run to avoid putting too many miles on the racing clock.

Crepello had a terrible draw on the Rowley Mile, but the always-masterful Piggott bided his time before unleashing the colt’s burst of speed to take the lead before idling a little in front.

That allowed Quorum to close at the line, but Crepello always had enough in hand to hold his challenge and that of third-placed Pipes Of Peace.

Crepello went on to win the Derby the following month, beating subsequent Irish Derby, Eclipse, King George and Arc winner Ballymoss in the fastest Epsom time since Mahmoud in 1936.

Tendon issues scuppered his planned Triple Crown bid in the St Leger later that year, with Crepello retired to stud, siring a number of notable winners.

As for Piggott, he went on to claim a further four 2000 Guineas wins, the last on Rodrigo De Triano in 1992. When he eventually retired for good in 1995, he had an incredible 30 British Classic wins to his credit.