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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tony Paley, with Greg Wood at Epsom

The Derby: Auguste Rodin gives O’Brien ninth win in Epsom showpiece – as it happened

Derby (Event) Auguste Rodin Frankie Dettori Military Order Epsom The Jockey Club
Ryan Moore leads Auguste Rodin home in front of King of Steel.
Ryan Moore leads Auguste Rodin home in front of King of Steel. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters

Report, news and reaction

So long from Epsom ... and from Frankie (at the Derby)

Well that was a very strange Derby day but I do think we saw a good winner in Auguste Rodin, who had top-class form as a two-year-old and returned to his best after a blip in the Guineas when he got clattered into by his stablemate and was well beaten. I am looking forward to the 5.35pm race at Royal Ascot (the Golden Gates Stakes) on the final day on Saturday when Torito, who won the Lester Piggott Handicap today, will win his next race (you read it here first). What I don’t look forward to is Epsom – and the Derby – without Frankie Dettori. His final mount in the Derby, Arrest, looked all at sea but he did have a winner on the day in the shape of Prosperous Voyage and he did leave us with a trademark flying dismount. We will not see his like again in our lifetime I suspect.

JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.05pm) result

1 Badri 10/1
2 Apollo One 7/1
3 Mr Wagyu 9/2
4 Haymaker 4/1

JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.05pm)

And they’re off … Haymaker is there. … Night On Earth is challenging but Badri quickens up best to win from Apollo One and Mr Wagyu back in third.

Updated

JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.05pm) betting

4/1 Mr Wagyu, 9/2 Probe, 6/1 Apollo One, 13/2 Haymaker, 10/1 Badri, Indian Creak, Many A Star, 12/1 Spring Bloom, 14/1 Night On Earth, Strike Red, Venturous, 20/1 Baldomero, 40/1 Count Otto, 50/1 The Defiant. Full betting on Oddschecker here.

JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.05pm) preview

Another runner with excellent form at the track heads the market for the last of the eight races on Derby day, and Mr Wagyu may well send his backers home happy for the second year running. The eight-year-old has been a great advertisement for John Quinn’s Yorkshire stable already with 15 wins from 73 starts, and after two runs to bring him to a peak, he looks ready to strike off just a 2lb higher mark than he raced from 12 months ago.

SELECTION: MR WAGYU

Northern Dancer Handicap (4.30pm) result

1 Sheer Rocks 11/2
2 Caius Chorister 9/4 f
3 Lucander 20/1

Updated

Northern Dancer Handicap (4.30pm)

And they’re off … Caius Chorister, as usual, takes the lead … with Lucander at the back … Sheer Rocks is close up … Max Mayhem is in second … Caius Chorister leads them into the home straight … Haliphon is under pressure … Caius Chorister is caught by Sheer Rocks who wins a little cosily.

Updated

Northern Dancer Handicap (4.30pm) betting

11/4 Caius Chorister, 3/1 Scampi, 9/2 Max Mayhem, Sea King, 7/1 Sheer Rocks, 12/1 Haliphon, Jungle Cove, 25/1 Green Team, 33/1 Lucander. You can find the full betting at Oddschecker here.

The finish of the 3YO 'Dash' Handicap.
The finish of the 3YO 'Dash' Handicap. Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

Updated

Northern Dancer Handicap (4.30pm) preview

Odd to think that this handicap over the Derby distance was once the feature event on day three of what was, in those days, a four-day Derby meeting, with the Derby on Wednesday and the Oaks on Saturday. It is almost an afterthought now, but also the penultimate chance for punters to either get out of trouble or play up their winning. With form figures of 112 over track and trip, Caius Chorister should be hard to pass if she gets an easy time of it in front.

SELECTION: CAIUS CHORISTER

“Mmmmm … hsould have backed it each-way”
“Mmmmm … hsould have backed it each-way” Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

Updated

Lester Piggott Handicap (3.55pm) result

1 Torito 4/1
2 Silver Sword 14/1
3 Balance Play 4/1

Updated

Lester Piggott Handicap (3.55pm)

And they’re off … Promoter was a bit slow and Forco Timao gets across to lead … Silver Sword is prominent … Perfect Play is making ground … Torito is making ground … and races clear for a smooth victory.

Updated

Lester Piggott Handicap (3.55pm) betting

3/1 Fox Journey, 4/1 Balance Play, Torito, 8/1 Maasai Mara, 9/1 Sol Cayo, 12/1 Perfect Play, Silver Sword, 14/1 Kadovar, Lose Your Wad, Promoter, 16/1 Forca Timao, 25/1 Blue Universe, 33/1 Cite d’Or, 40/1 God Of Fire. Full betting on Oddschecker here.

Oh no … don’t stop the Carnival!
Oh no … don’t stop the Carnival! Photograph: Ian Headington/racingfotos.com/Shutterstock

Updated

Lester Piggott Handicap (3.55pm) preview

It will be a worth a second-check on how the lightly-race Artistic Star fares in the Derby earlier on the card before getting too involved with this handicap, as Torito, the second-favourite, was less than two lengths behind him at Sandown last time. His opening mark of 95 certainly looks more than fair on his form there, and it is encouraging that the race was well-run too.

SELECTION: TORITO

Horses running fast at Epsom.
Horses running fast at Epsom. Photograph: Tim Goode/PA

Updated

Dash Handicap (3.20pm) result

1 Navello 25/1
2 Silky Wilkie 17/2
3 Clarendon House 13/2
4 Zarzyni (IRE)17/2

Dash Handicap (3.20pm)

And they’re off … Mokaatilis is out fast as is One Night Stand … Recon Mission is up there … Clarendon House is caught by Navello close home with Silky Wilkie in the first three too. It’s very tight --- a photo-finish. Navello is announced the winner.

Updated

Dash Handicap (3.20pm) betting

8/1 Clarendon House, Live In The Moment, 9/1 Ancient Times, 10/1 Mountain Peak, Sampers Seven, Silky Wilkie, 11/1 Lihou, Mokaatil, Vintage Clarets, 12/1 Angle Land, Look Out Louis, 14/1 Alligator Alley, Navello, 16/1 Came From The Dark, Zarzyni, 25/1 Lord Riddiford, Recon Mission, The Thin Blue Line, 40/1 Papa Don’t Preach, 50/1 One Night Stand. Full betting on Oddschecker here.

The winner’s there somwewhere.
The winner’s there somwewhere. Photograph: Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA

Dash Handicap (3.20pm) preview

The long-established “senior” version of the previous race, a hell-for-leather hurtle down the straight which is over almost before it has begun. It is always one of the most fiercely-contested handicaps of the season, with a field full of course-specialists, and as with its younger sibling at 2.45, it is all but impossible to rule anything out (there have been winners at 33-1 and 25-1 twice in the last five years alone). Siding with an apprentice who is well worth their claim is one possible angle in such a tight contest, however, and I’ll throw in my lot with the excellent Kaiya Fraser, whose 7lb allowance might tip the balance on Ancient Times.

SELECTION: ANCIENT TIMES

The 3yo Dash Handicap Stakes at Epsom.
The 3yo Dash Handicap Stakes at Epsom. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images

Updated

And so the fake news promoted by Animal Rising starts. Thank goodness there are some journalists there to highlight their various calumnies.

3YO Dash Handicap (2.45pm) result

1 Tatterstall 8/1
2 Miss Brazen 11/1
3 Dickieburd 33/1
4 Jm Jungle 17/2

Updated

3YO Dash Handicap (2.45pm)

And they’re off … Democracy Dilemma is up there as is Dickieburd … Miss Brazen goes well … and Tatterstall gets up on the nearside to nab the early leaders close home.

Updated

It’s 2025 and the British Horseracing Authority have ditched the “premierisation” idea after their pet project flops …

Updated

3YO Dash Handicap (2.45pm) preview

An interesting addition to the card, a handicap for three year olds over what is often said to be the fastest five furlongs on the planet. The simple fact of it is that any one of the 14 runners could get home in front, but I’ll be having a small each-way bet on Grace Angel to follow up her win at Redcar last time. She raced alone there, which can sometimes be deceptive, but the form was backed up by a strong time and she may have been underestimated in the market at around 14-1.

SELECTION: GRACE ANGEL

That’s the way to enjoy Derby day!
That’s the way to enjoy Derby day! Photograph: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock

Updated

Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.10pm) result

1 Prosperous Voyage 6/4 f
2 Random Harvest 22/1
3 Astral Beau 6/1

Updated

Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.10pm)

And they’re off … Roman Mist leads to Tattenham Corner … Random Harvest is in second with Prosperous Voyage in midfield … it’s a bunch finish with Prosperous Voyage winning under that man … Frankie Dettori.

Updated

Alarmingly, one person did manage to get onto the track as the Derby was being run but was bundled off the course by the police.

Updated

Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.10pm) betting

6/4 Prosperous Voyage
5/2 Potapova
9/2 Roman Mist
13/2 Astral Beau
9/1 Shaara
20/1 Random Harvest
Full betting via Oddschecker

Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.10pm) preview

Another Group Three over the extended mile, this time for fillies and mares, and Prosperous Voyage is the clear favourite to beat five opponents thanks mainly to the Group One victory on her record in last season’s Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket. Her return to action in last month’s Dahlia Stakes was slightly underwhelming, however, while Potapova, perhaps her most obvious rival on the book, fared even worse when pulled up in the Conqueror Stakes at Goodwood. That leaves Roman Mist, the game winner of that contest, looking like a more solid option with Oisin Murphy taking the reins for the first time.

SELECTION: ROMAN MIST

Man at C&A.
Man at C&A. Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

Updated

The Derby (1.30pm) result

1 Auguste Rodin 9/2
2 King Of Steel 66/1
3 White Birch 12/1

Updated

The Derby (1.30pm)

And they’re off … King Of Steel gets away fast as does Arrest … Arrest is very prominent but now gives way and Adelaide River and San Antonio are at the head of affairs … White Birch is last … Passenger is close up with Dubai Mile … As they turn for home Military Order tries to make ground … King Of Steel takes it up from Auguste Rodin and Auguste Rodin just gets there to win.

Updated

White Birch getting a bit worked up at the start but a stalls handler has now taken a grip of the horse’s reins. Arrest is 4-1 favourite as the horses go behind the stalls.

A bit of royalty at the Derby.
A bit of royalty at the Derby. Photograph: Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA

Racing TV presenters are stating that no horse has got particularly worked up in the preliminaries. It must be pointed out that this year the pre-race time in the paddock has been shortened considerably owing to the possibility of protests.

Police officers in evidence looking towards the starting stalls for the Derby.
Police officers in evidence looking towards the starting stalls for the Derby. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Don’t say it yet …

Jockeys have been given instructions about what to look out for if protestors invade the track at Epsom for the Derby.

The Derby (1.30pm) betting

9/2 Arrest
9/2 Military Order
5/1 Auguste Rodin
13/2 Passenger
12/1 Sprewell
12/1 White Birch
14/1 The Foxes
18/1 Dubai Mile
20/1 Waipiro
25/1 Artistic Star
25/1 San Antonio
50/1 Adelaide River
50/1 King Of Steel
100/1 Dear My Friend
Full betting via Oddschecker here

Cheers!
Cheers! Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

The Derby (1.30pm) preview

There is an old theory in racing that the best trial of all for the Derby is the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and while many betting maxims are nothing more than a fast-track to destitution, 2023 could be a year when this one at least has some substance.

The traditional trials, at Chester, Leopardstown, York and Lingfield, have failed to identify an outstanding candidate, and while there will surely be a rush to support Frankie Dettori’s mount, Arrest, after his two Group One wins here on Friday, he has eased out to joint second-favourite this morning after a brief spell as favourite on Friday evening.

Auguste Rodin, a complete blowout when favourite for the Guineas last month, is now a very narrow favourite, though almost by default thanks to his Group One win at Doncaster last autumn, while nine of the 14 runners will be racing at the highest level for the first time. That includes both Military Order, whose Lingfield trial was switched to the all-weather, and Passenger, whose only win was in a Newmarket maiden less than two months ago.

A more positive spin on the lack of an obvious favourite, though, is that this is a Derby field rich with possibilities. Lightly-raced colts with plenty of scope for improvement include Waipiro, who was just over a length behind Military Order at Lingfield but is several times the price, and the unbeaten Artistic Star, who is also, a little surprisingly, the only runner in the field by Galileo.

After a dozen spins through all the replays of the trials, however, that old maxim about the Guineas keeps springing to mind, and above all the performance of Charlie Johnston’s Dubai Mile at a trip that was never going to suit a colt who won a 10-furlong Group One at Saint-Cloud as a juvenile. Dubai Mile was outpaced as the leaders got away two furlongs out but was staying on again with real purpose in the closing stages, and was a fast-diminishing five lengths behind the winner at the line.

That also, of course, put him a long way in front of Auguste Rodin, though to be fair to Aidan O’Brien’s colt, he was never travelling after an early bump. But Dubai Mile also beat Arrest, who is half his price on Saturday, in his Group One last year, when he showed real courage to get up after being headed twice, and was just behind The Foxes, the Dante winner, in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket in September. There was no need to give Dubai Mile another run after Newmarket and he has crept in under the radar as a result at around 16-1.

SELECTION: DUBAI MILE

He clearly backed the winner in the first.
He clearly backed the winner in the first. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Diomed Stakes (12.50pm) result

1 Regal Reality 5-1
2 Highland Avenue 2-1 f
3 Kolsai 5-2

Updated

Diomed Stakes (12.50pm)

And they’re off … the well-backed Marie’s Diamond is in the lead in the early stages from Highland Avenue … Regal Reality is the back marker but close up in a small field … Marie’s Diamond kicks for home but Kolsai is challenging and Escobar is trying hard … Regal Reality comes with a strong, late run to win under Ryan Moore. Betfred, who sponsor the Derby, own the winner! Looks obvious now …

Ryan Moore riding Regal Reality to victory.
Ryan Moore riding Regal Reality to victory. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

Updated

One thing for certain today … it’s quick ground out there …

Diomed Stakes (12.50pm) betting

2-1 Kolsai
9-4 Highland Avenue
5-1 Regal Reality
8-1 Escobar
12-1 Imperial Fighter
12-1 Marie’s Diamond
Full betting on Oddschecker

A racegoer has a bet at Epsom.
A racegoer has a bet at Epsom. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images

Updated

Diomed Stakes (12.50pm) preview

A Group Three contest over a mile to kick off the card, and a slightly uneasy favourite in Highland Avenue, who is out to around 2-1 from around 11-8 overnight. That reflects some support for Roger Varian’s lightly-raced Kolsai, the only three-year-old in the field, but Charlie Appleby’s runner has stronger form and is also relatively lightly-raced for his age, with only one race in the book since March 2022. He had been off for 14 months before running his stable-companion Adayar, the 2021 Derby winner, to three lengths at Newmarket last month and will be hard to beat if he arrives in similar form here.

SELECTION: KOLSAI

Smaller crowd than normal on The Hill at Epsom.
Smaller crowd than normal on The Hill at Epsom. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images

Those heading to Epsom are going to be a part of the long history of the race, the most famous Flat race in the world and the one with the greatest tradition. It’s had its troubles keeping step with younger whipper-snappers that have been created with much bigger prize money but it’s still every breeder, trainer, owner and jockey’s dream to be first past the post in the big race today. Nicholas Clee has written a wonderfully readable new tome called Horses for Courses with a lovely chapter on Epsom. It’s published by Wiedenfeld and Nicholson and more details can be found here.

Front cover of the book “Courses for Horses - A journey round racing in Britain and Ireland” by Nicholas Clee.
Front cover of the book “Courses for Horses - A journey round racing in Britain and Ireland” by Nicholas Clee. Photograph: W&N

Updated

Frankie Dettori has walked the track with the trainers of Arrest, John and Thady Gosden.

Updated

The big question today, apart from will the Derby go off on time or if it will at all, is will Frankie Dettori win? And for punters it will be will he go off favourite as that makes a big difference in terms of value. Pat Cooney, the face of bookies Bet365, said this morning, that contrary to reports in the press, “Frankie winning would not be a bad result,” while the folks at BestofBets.com tell me “savvy punters are chasing for value elsewhere”. At the moment incredibly it’s 5-1 co-favourite Auguste Rodin, Arrest and Military Order. You can keep abreast of the latest betting moves via Oddschecker here.

She’s trying to find the winner.
She’s trying to find the winner. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

There are now more details in our story on the arrests made this morning ahead of the Derby. A spokesman for Surrey Police said 11 people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours and a further eight people were arrested after their vehicle was stopped on Canons Lane in Burgh Heath at around 10.20am.

Superintendent Michael Hodder of Surrey Police said: “We have been clear in our approach that criminal activity will not be tolerated at the Epsom Derby Festival. As a result of intelligence, we have arrested 19 people who we believe were intent on illegally disrupting today’s events. Our officers will be at the event throughout the day to continue in keeping the public safe and preventing criminality.”

In a defiant announcement following the arrests, Animal Rising said police would not stop them from disrupting the Derby. They said: “Earlier this morning, at least 10 arrests were made by Surrey Police, allegedly in connection with the Epsom Derby. This comes after reports of facial recognition camera around Epsom Downs Racecourse. Police heavy-handedness and intimidation tactics will not prevent a national conversation about our animals and the natural world. It restates its commitment to protect horses and disrupt the Derby.”

Police liaison officers at an animal rights protest group organised by Animal Rising outside the entrance of the racecourse.
Police liaison officers at an animal rights protest group organised by Animal Rising outside the entrance of the racecourse. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

I’ve been an advocate of a late, late Derby start for some time. Can you imagine the viewing figures if ITV had the race on at primetime on Saturday evening with a panoply of stars and a show themed around the event. I think a chance has been lost this year. Matt Chapman revealed on the Morning Show programme today that ITV had offered to show the Derby at 6.45pm tonight after the Cup Final was moved to 3pm from its original approximately 4.30pm kick-off but the racing bigwigs turned the idea down.

ITV Racing presenter Matt Chapman … or is it Max headroom?
ITV Racing presenter Matt Chapman … or is it Max headroom? Photograph: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock

I’ve just been out to survey the patch of roundabout grass that is the official Jockey Club-sanctioned Animal Rising protest area, located outside the main entrance to the racecourse. It is extremely sparsely populated, with about a dozen people, some of them in pink T-shirts with one waving a flag, standing or sitting around under the watchful eye of four members of the constabulary. Reports suggest there have been 19 arrests already but I have been in situ since early this morning, walked the course about an hour ago and have yet to see any sign of trouble.

Animal rights protest group Animal Rising in wheelbarrows outside the entrance to the racecourse.
Animal rights protest group Animal Rising in wheelbarrows outside the entrance to the racecourse. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Early arrests made at Epsom

Nineteen people have been arrested in connection with plans to disrupt the Epsom Derby Festival on Saturday, Surrey police are reporting. You can find all the latest details in our news report here.

Updated

Hello and welcome to the strangest Derby day of modern times. The race (scheduled for 1.30pm) will be off and finished before most of us have had our lunch because the Cup Final was moved to 3pm instead of a later kick-off. Or will it? Animal Rising protesters say they are determined to stop (or at least delay) the Derby so who knows. This, last night on Talk TV, was a very good introduction to the issues whether you’re pro or anti- horse racing.

Updated

Preamble

Good morning from Epsom racecourse, where what will probably be a smaller crowd than usual is starting to assemble a good deal earlier than usual, before what may yet come to be known as the Arrest Derby – if Frankie Dettori can get the likely favourite home in front – or the Multiple Arrests Derby, if activists from Animal Rising turn up in serious numbers. And there are, of course, many more possible outcomes too in what is, from many angles, as open a Derby as we have seen for years.

Arrest shot to the top of the market on Friday afternoon after his soon-to-be-retired jockey took the two biggest races on the opening day card, but the colt’s actual chance is no better than it was on Friday morning.

He was a clear favourite with all major bookmaking firms last night, but only the joint second-favourite behind Auguste Rodin on the Betfair exchange, where the players do not need to worry about liabilities running up. And he has duly drifted a little with the bookies too this morning, with Auguste Rodin and Military Order both marginally ahead of him in the lists.

Arrest, Auguste Rodin, Military Order and Passenger are all potential favourites – or co-favourites – when the stalls crash open, while four more of the runners in the 13-strong field are likely to go off at 20-1 or shorter and only three really qualify as near-total no-hopers.

It is a fascinating race that deserves to be the centrepiece of the sporting afternoon, but the FA Cup final has muscled on to its territory – for one year only, thankfully – and it will instead go off at 1.30pm, which is probably the earliest start time in its long history. If Animal Rising get their way, however, it will not go off at all, and while that seems a fairly remote possibility, everyone at the track will be on high alert in the hours leading up to the Classic.

The Jockey Club has spent around £150,000 to beef up the normal security arrangements following the threats by Animal Rising, and another undisclosed but no doubt chunky amount to obtain an injunction at the high court last week to deter incursions on to the track.

If the race goes ahead without a hitch, it will be seen as money well spent. If not, the Jockey Club has a big legal stick with which it can pursue anyone who gets on the course for damages.

Other potential storylines this afternoon include the possibility that 76-year-old Jessica Harrington will become the first female trainer to saddle a Derby winner if Sprewell comes home in front, while Charlie Johnston, 32, could strike at the first attempt with Dubai Mile, having taken over the licence at his family’s Middleham yard over the winter from his father, Mark.

It promises to be a slightly strange Derby day, and perhaps over all too soon, but you can follow the action as it happens here on the Guardian’s live blog as a certain Mr Dettori attempts to bring his career in the Epsom Classics to a close on a remarkable high.

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