Teenoso third favourite for the Lingfield Derby Trial in May. He took the lead five furlongs from the finish and stayed on well to win by three lengths from Shearwalk. When Lester Piggott, who had won the race eight times previously, elected to ride Teenoso in the Derby, the colt was strongly supported in the betting and started 9/2 favourite in a field of twenty-one runners. Racing on the heaviest ground seen at Epsom for many years, Teenoso was among the leaders from the start. Piggott sent the colt into the lead early in the straight and he was never in
Alphabatim the Feilden Stakes winner Trojan Fen. In May he was moved up in distance to contest the Highland Spring Derby Trial over one and a half miles at Lingfield Park Racecourse and started 2/5 favourite against four opponents. With Rouse again in the saddle he won "very easily" by six lengths from Get The Message. Lester Piggott took over from Rouse when Alphabatim contested the 205th running of the Epsom Derby in June. He appeared to be the leading British-trained contender and started the 11/2 second favourite behind the Irish colt El Gran Senor in a seventeen-runners field. He stayed