World Pool Epsom Preview: Martin Dixon shares his tip for the Derby

Speaking on the Tote's World Pool preview show, Dixon said: "The distance doesn't worry me [for Item]. With a Frankel horse, the amount of middle distance and 12-furlong horses that he has produced, the likes of Alpinista, and Adayar who's won a Derby. The list of top mile and a half horses he has produced is endless really."

"Also the way that he won the Dante, he just kept on grinding them into submission steadily through the final half-mile of the race and I thought he idled a little bit in front as well once he was there and the work had been done.

"I was really impressed with him and I quite like the fact he went into the Dante relatively cold in the market, he wasn't a hot horse. He's had that sort of under the radar profile until the Dante and I don't necessarily think that they were expected that calibre of performance from him, but I quite like that about a slow-burning horse.

"It was a massive improvement on his juvenile form, the stride data, the way that he won, his sectional times, all of it suggests he's going to have no trouble whatsoever with the mile and a half, in fact he should improve.

"The only concern I've got is whether the ground gets too testing for him. Good to soft I'm sure would be fine, but we should remember last year he was taken out of the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster because of unsuitable ground.

"He's on top of my list because I think the Dante form is strong. He beat a really good horse in Action into second and Christmas Day as well who came into it on the back of a Group win in Ireland. I was really impressed with the performance all round and he can improve up in trip and with another race behind him.

"I think James J Braddock will improve again up in trip and Maltese Cross I would have in your exacta/combination bets and will run well. Stall one used to be considered a hindrance, but we have had a couple of winners from there recently and it isn't a problem."