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Troy brings season to life
The Flat season has been, well, a bit flat to be fair. That was until 4.35pm this afternoon when City Of Troy brought the campaign to life with a performance in the Derby that promises so much for the rest of the season.
When watching the race again note the relatively poor position he was in on the turn for home and how he quickened up so superbly well in the home straight and then how Ryan Moore couldn’t pull him up.
Aidan O’Brien was blaming himself for having the horse, who was champion two-year-old last year, undercooked for the Guineas when the colt famously blew out at Newmarket but for which we would be talking about a horse with the Triple Crown at his mercy. Well, if connections had been minded to go for it and please the traditionalists.
There was no repeat of that Guineas disaster today and now the discussion is about the Eclipse, the King George, the Arc or maybe even a trip to the States. Before alluding to those great European races, O’Brien said: “We had a plan, his first three races were the Guineas, the Derby and then Saratogaon dirt over 10 furlongs [for the Travers Stakes].”
Wherever he goes, don’t miss him. Love this pic below of the horse and his groom. That’s it for me for now … see you again for Royal Ascot week.
City Of Troy’s groom gives him a kiss and a hug after he wins the greatest flat race in the world.
— Charlie Proctor (@MonarchyUK) June 1, 2024
Delighted we have finally been able to see what he can do!#EpsomDerby pic.twitter.com/wDmbDqLreX
Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.50pm) result
1 Misty Grey (Rossa Ryan) 7-1
2 Mr Wagyu (Jason Hart) 5-1
3 Apollo One (R Kingscote) 11-4 Fav
13 ran
Also: 16-1 Executive Decision 4th
Non Runners: 9,10,11
Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.50pm)
They’re off … Mr Wagyu is up there as they turn for home … Apollo One leads the way with Mr Wagyu challenging hard as they come to the line … and Misty Grey may have come to nab Mr Wagyu on the line I think. Photo-finish! And yes … first Misty Grey.
Updated
Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.50pm) betting
Apollo One 10/3
Mr Wagyu 9/2
Aleezdancer 13/2
Flaming Rib 8/1
Mums Tipple 9/1
Misty Grey 10/1
Badri 11/1
Executive Decision 16/1
Eminency 20/1
Intervention 22/1
Strike Red 22/1
BAR 33/1 – 13 Runners
Updated
Tokyo Trophy Handicap (5.50pm) preview
If salvation is still required in the last of the eight races on Derby day, you might as well opt for something at an each-way price that requires only a minimal stake and Strike Red might just fit the bill here. It was a wrench to abandon Apollo One – his form figures over the last year-and-a-half are 322230-2 and I think I’ve tipped him every time) but 20-1 just seems too big a price for Richard Fahey’s runner, who was entitled to need his comeback run at Newcastle last time. His previous start was an impressive win in a valuable race at the Curragh off a 2lb lower mark than today’s, and he has a genuine chance on that form.
SELECTION: STRIKE RED
Updated
Northern Dancer Handicap (5.15pm) result
1 Relentless Voyager (Oisin Murphy) 7-1
2 Ziggy (R Kingscote) 4-1
3 Asgard’s Captain (J F Egan) 12-1
14 ran
Also: 7-2 Fav Kotari, 20-1 Not So Sleepy 4th
Non Runner: 5
Updated
What a brilliant performance from City Of Troy. You can read the report here.
Northern Dancer Handicap (5.15pm) market mover
Flash Bardot 12/1 into 9/1
Northern Dancer Handicap (5.15pm) betting
Ziggy 9/2
Kotari 11/2
Relentless Voyager 6/1
Flash Bardot 9/1
If Not Now 9/1
Asgard’s Captain 12/1
Dream Harder 12/1
Not So Sleepy 16/1
Percy Shelley 18/1
Parlando 18/1
BAR 22/1 – 14 Runners
Northern Dancer Handicap (5.15pm) preview
A race that once was the feature event on the Friday of the old four-day Derby meeting, which only goes to show how thinly the action was spread back in the day. If you are looking to get out of trouble at this point, it might be best to take a deep breath and walk away, but Kotari does at least arrive on a rich run of form and a narrow victory at Ascot last time – his third in a row – has ensured that he is only 5lb higher in the weights today.
SELECTION: KOTARI
The Derby (4.30pm) result
1 City Of Troy (R L Moore) 3-1 Fav
2 Ambiente Friendly (R Havlin) 9-2
3 Los Angeles (W M Lordan) 6-1
16 ran
Updated
City Of Troy wins the Derby
The Derby (4.30pm) … and they’re off … Los Angeles proved tricky to get in but has set off with the others … Voyage unseated the rider leaving the stalls … Euphoric leads as expected with Los Angeles in second and City Of Troy in midfield … Dallas Star is near the leaders as they turn for home … Los Angeles takes the lead but City Of Troy comes to take over with Ambiente Friendly challenging hard but City Of Troy wins it!
Updated
Ambiente Friendly is getting a little worked up and he can be quite buzzy at the start of the race which would not be in his favour.
Ambiente Friendly has got particularly warm ahead of the Derby. City Of Troy makes his way to post #Epsom pic.twitter.com/9Na5WX3Gmg
— Melissa Jones (@fillyonform) June 1, 2024
Aidan O’Brien’s attention to detail …
Final preparations for City Of Troy 🏇 pic.twitter.com/awMe52DwvS
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 1, 2024
The Derby (4.30pm) market movers
Ambiente Friendly 10/1 into 6/1
Dancing Gemini 14/1 into 9/1
Bets laid on the #Derby with @StarSports_Bet on the rail £60,000 - £10,000 Ancient Wisdom, £14,000 - £1000 each-way Bellum Justum, City Of Troy £3000 - £1000 pic.twitter.com/6gmOM0dBkC
— SimonNott (@SimonNott) June 1, 2024
Updated
The Derby (4.30pm) betting
City Of Troy 3/1
Ambiente Friendly 6/1
Los Angeles 6/1
Ancient Wisdom 13/2
Dancing Gemini 9/1
Macduff 12/1
Bellum Justum 20/1
Deira Mile 28/1
Voyage 28/1
BAR 40/1 – 16 Runners
Updated
The Derby (4.30pm) preview
The Derby has been coming into ever-sharper focus ever since the last horse crossed the line in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and at this stage, there is precious little to add to all the form, thoughts and conjecture of the last four weeks. Every punter is likely to look at the race in a slightly different way, and place a different emphasis on various performances, but for me it came down to a choice between Los Angeles and Dancing Gemini, and slightly more certainty about the likelihood of improvement at 12 furlongs narrowly tipped the balance towards the Leopardstown Derby Trial winner. That said, it would be splendid to see City Of Troy return to his exhilarating two-year-old form, or Ambiente Friendly come home in front for 91-year-old Bill Gredley. The only certainty is that the winner will join the unbroken line of Derby winners that stretches back to 1780, while the also-rans will have missed their one and only chance of Epsom Classic glory.
SELECTION: LOS ANGELES
Updated
Betfred Dash Handicap (3.45pm) result
1 Dream Composer (Joe Leavy) 6-1
2 Democracy Dilemma (Rossa Ryan) 8-1
3 Looking For Lynda (Hollie Doyle) 17-2
14 ran
Also: 5-1 Fav Silky Wilkie, 33-1 Antiphon 4th
Non Runner: 6
Updated
Betfred Dash Handicap (3.45pm)
And they’re off … zoom … this is going to be quick (again this is a contest over the fastest five furlongs in the world) so excuse the sparse description … Democracy Dilemma is off fast. … he has the rail now to help him and will go hard for the line … oh here comes a challenger and he is caught by Dream Composer on the line!
Oh my, @Joeleavy05 take a bow 👏
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) June 1, 2024
The young Apprentice jockey wins the Epsom Dash aboard Dream Composer on his VERY FIRST ride at the track.
pic.twitter.com/YI1RkFOBju
Updated
Very sad news from the 3.10pm race after Tears Of A Clown’s mishap near the end of the contest.
Tears Of A Clown has sadly been put down following a fatal injury in the Betfred 3yo "dash"
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 1, 2024
Our thoughts are with connections at this difficult time
Betfred Dash Handicap (3.45pm) betting
Silky Wilkie 5/1
Clarendon House 6/1
Looking For Lynda 13/2
Dream Composer 7/1
Lethal Nymph 8/1
Democracy Dilemma 15/2
Chipstead 10/1
Alligator Alley 14/1
Night On Earth 16/1
Live In The Moment 18/1
BAR 28/1 – 14 Runners
Updated
Betfred Dash Handicap (3.45pm) preview
A 14-runner field for the traditional precursor to the Derby following the scratching of One Night Stand, which is the smallest for 21 years. There are still more than enough possibilities to keep form students busy for many hours, however, and big outsiders including The Bell Conductor, at 33-1, go to post with a realistic each-way chance. For win purposes, though, I’m with Dream Composer at around 8-1, as the form of his latest narrow defeat at Goodwood looks as solid as anything on offer and Joe Leavy’s 5lb claim could make all the difference in a tight finish.
SELECTION: DREAM COMPOSER
Updated
Aidan O’Brien, who leaves no stone unturned, with the Instructions (Part One) for a couple of his Derby jockeys …
🔟 loading...#ITVRacing | #EpsomDerby pic.twitter.com/EoBKxmHho2
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 1, 2024
Betfred 3-Y-O Dash Handicap (3.10pm) result
1 Blue Storm (Rossa Ryan) 8-1
2 Sturlasson (Oisin Murphy) 7-1
3 Due For Luck (Jason Hart) 6-1
4 Enchanting (Hollie Doyle) 20-1
19 ran
Also: 9-2 Fav Grandlad
Non Runner: 13
Updated
Betfred 3-Y-O Dash Handicap (3.10pm)
And they’re off … zoom … this is going to be quick (this is the fastest five furlongs in the world) so excuse the sparse description … Grandlad is up there early … Mc Loven is fast away … Blue Storm takes the lead down the centre and holds off the late challenge of Sturlasson.
A Derby day winner for @GemmaTutty 🔥
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 1, 2024
Blue Storm comes from off the pace to win the @Betfred 3YO "Dash" under a well-judged ride from @Rossaryan15. pic.twitter.com/7bCkG9JkFJ
Updated
Updated
Betfred 3-Y-O Dash Handicap (3.10pm) betting
Grandlad 5/1
Due For Luck 6/1
Mashadi 13/2
Sturlasson 9/1
Billy Webster 9/1
Mart 12/1
Blue Storm 12/1
Knicks 14/1
Vince l’Amour 20/1
Enchanting 25/1
Doctor Vuby 25/1
The Coffee Pod 25/1
Updated
Betfred 3-Y-O Dash Handicap (3.10pm) preview
The three-year-old version of the annual headlong charge down the straight five-furlong course that follows at 3.45, and scarcely a name among the 19 runners that can be ruled out with complete confidence. For the most part, though, most of these are a good deal more exposed than many three-year-olds at this stage of the campaign, and one of the few with only a handful of starts to their name is Grandlad, the narrow favourite. He took his record to 2-from-4 with a narrow win at Goodwood last weekend and the form was backed up by a strong time figure, and so he is probably the safest option in a desperately difficult event.
SELECTION: GRANDLAD
Updated
Diomed Stakes (2.35pm) result
1 Royal Scotsman (J P Spencer) 17-2
2 Royal Dubai (Oisin Murphy) 6-1
3 Highland Avenue (W Buick) 7-2 Jt Fav
8 ran
Updated
Diomed Stakes (2.35pm)
And they’re off … Royal Scotsman sets off in the lead and is going a fast pace … Regal Reality is at the back … Royal Scotsman kicks clear … can he hold on? Yes he can! An easy winner!! That was the story of the race. A horse back to form and he will win better races now he’s back on song. Ran a terrific race in the 2,000 Guineas last year and has not had the rub of the green since. Great to see.
Spencer from the FRONT! 👊
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 1, 2024
𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 responds brilliantly to a swashbuckling ride from @JPSPENCER1980 in the @Betfred Diomed Stakes.
What a performance! 🔥@whatcomberacing | @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/Rz9EnYGI2l
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Diomed Stakes preview
This is not generally one of the season’s better Group Three events and the fact that last year’s 1-2 – the now nine-year-old Regal Reality and six-year-old Highland Avenue – are back for another crack tells a tale about the latest renewal, but there is at least an interesting new opponent in Roger Varian’s Embesto. He was a little disappointing on his seasonal debut at Newmarket last month but remains with potential after just half a dozen starts and races in a hood for the first time here. It could prove to be the making of him, but for now, I’ll take the proven course form of Highland Avenue to prevail.
SELECTION: HIGHLAND AVENUE
Updated
Diomed Stakes (2.35pm) betting
Embesto 4/1
Regal Reality 4/1
Highland Avenue 4/1
Royal Scotsman 7/1
Epictetus 8/1
Royal Dubai 10/1
Sean 11/1
Silver Sword 14/1
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2pm) result
1 Breege (Jason Hart) 5-1
2 Chic Colombine (W Buick) 11-4
3 Royal Dress (B M Coen) 14-1
8 ran
Also: 13-8 Fav Running Lion, 66-1 Julia Augusta 4th
Non Runner: 7
Updated
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2pm)
And they’re off … Julia Augusta leads in the early stages … pace quite nippy this time … Astral Beau is second and Running Lion poised in third … the favourite went for a daring run up the rail but didn’t have the finishing kick … it’s a bunched finish and they are all over the place but Breege holds on. What a mess of a race.
Breege will have her day!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 1, 2024
It's a determined performance to win the Princess Elizabeth Stakes#ITVRacing | #EpsomDerby@johnquinnracing | @jasonhart13 pic.twitter.com/hvC5B01i1P
Updated
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2pm) betting
Running Lion 2/1
Chic Colombine 10/3
Breege 7/1
Astral Beau 7/1
Sparks Fly 11/1
Sea Of Thieves 12/1
Royal Dress 14/1
Glimpsed 22/1
Julia Augusta 66/1
There’s an election on and Priti Patel MP is at the Derby – if she loses her Witham constituency (majority 24,000) on July 4th the Conservative party will be extinct!
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2pm) preview
It has to be said that the Derby’s undercard is somewhat … well, underwhelming when set against many other big-race days, both here and around the world. That said, this Group Three is a fair race of its type, and features a favourite in Running Lion who has shown occasional glimpses of potential Group One-winning form at various points in her career. Her strike-rate, though, feels like it is not quite what it should be – she is winless in five starts since May 2023 – and personally I’d want to see a bit more before stepping in to back her at around 2-1. Instead, I’ll take her on with a 12-1 chance in David Loughnane’s Sparks Fly, a prolific handicapper last year with the potential for further progress at four and not much to find with the favourite on ratings, although it has to be said that drying ground is not necessarily ideal.
SELECTION: SPARKS FLY
Updated
Market mover for 2pm race …
Astral Beau 9-1 into 7--1
Full details via Oddspedia
Lester Piggott Handicap (1.25pm) result
1 Persica (S M Levey) 9-2
2 Portsmouth (Oisin Murphy) 5-2 Fav
3 Redhot Whisper (Jack Gilligan) 28-1
12 ran
Updated
Lester Piggott Handicap (1.25pm)
And they’re off … Blake was slowly away and Persica leads … but it’s a slow pace and the field is bunched up … Golden West is up there at Tattenham Corner … Portsmouth is getting through on the rail … but is being fought off and Persica wins … a fine front-running ride from Sean Levey.
In the right place! 🟣⚪️
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 1, 2024
𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚 was always ideally placed in a tactical race and he had more than enough in the tank to see off Portsmouth in the closing stages of the opening @HKJC_Racing Lester Piggott Handicap.@rhannonracing | @LeveySean | @WorldPool pic.twitter.com/btmj70hAcg
Updated
Lester Piggott Handicap (1.25pm) betting
Portsmouth 9/4
Persica 7/2
Bubbles Wonky 15/2
Whiskey Pete 9/1
Grey Cuban 12/1
Golden West 12/1
Cool Legend 14/1
Blake 16/1
Redhot Whisper 20/1
Prepschool 22/1
Commander Crouch 25/1
Hot Fuss 33/1
Lester Piggott Handicap (1.25pm) preview
A tricky little handicap to kick off proceedings on Derby day, named to honour a rider who knew rode this unique track better than anyone before or since. Course form is always worth marking up at Epsom and Portsmouth is one of just two runners in the field – Golden West is the other – with a previous win at the track, having registered a very comfortable win at the April meeting off a mark of 74. He is 9lb higher today, having finished a fine second on heavy ground at Goodwood in early May, but has obvious prospects of a return to the winner’s enclosure back on a better surface today.
SELECTION: PORTSMOUTH
Here are the Oddschecker best-supported horses of the day so far …and City of Troy is among them!
13:25 – Portsmouth 5/2
14:00 – Running Lion 7/4
16:30 – City of Troy 11/4
The Racing TV panel on the channel have just stated City Of Troy “is definitely not worth backing at 7-2”. That was recorded earlier this week and now the favourite is 11-4 in places! The most famous British Fat race this year revolves around one horse: if City Of Troy comes back to his best form from last season he wins but if he runs like he did in the 2,000 Guineas when he flopped so badly then it’s the end of another chance for the Aidan O’Brien operation to say they have a genuine racing great in their yard. Don’t forget his owners last year mentioned the colt in the same breath as Frankel.
One of the reasons City Of Troy did not handle the Guineas test at Newmarket was the fact that he boiled over at the start. My colleague Greg Wood reported last night that O’Brien stated he’s not going to take any special measures with the horse while there’s another point to factor in. The BestofBets.com people remind me in a missive that ‘In addition to a very poor run in the Guineas, the favourite for today’s Epsom Derby will have to overcome the ‘coffin box’ draw of stall one.’ Timeform did their analysis and concluded that “the data suggests there is merit in the view that a low draw is more of a hindrance than a help.” It’s a tricky head scratcher for backers.
Good afternoon. Get ready for the usual rollercoaster Derby up and around the famous Epsom Downs. The traditions are part of what makes this event so special and we’re going to start with the annual tip at the Amato pub near the track. Beware, the last few years have not exactly been bursting with winners … including in 2023. This year it’s the Guardian’s tip, Los Angeles!
The Derby winner, according to the #Amato well in Chalk Lane is: pic.twitter.com/imdmQSKtUv
— John Sandys (@TheDerbywalk) May 30, 2024
Preamble
Good afternoon from Epsom on the first Saturday in June, which can only mean that tens of thousands of racing fans are converging on the Surrey downs for the 245th running of the Derby, the world’s most famous Classic.
Precisely how many tens of thousands is hard to say, not least because the Hill enclosure – which the track describes as the “beating heart of the Derby Festival” remains arguably the best free sporting day out anywhere on the planet. But the paid attendance took a significant hit last year, from 37,274 to 25,413, something that seems to have been slightly lost amid the focus on attempts by animal rights protestors to disrupt the big race.
Jockey Club Racecourses, which is also facing serious struggles to maintain the attendance figures at Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring, will not want to see the numbers at its other big event heading in the same direction.
There is at least no rain forecast at Epsom today, which may well encourage some walk-ups, and the big race – due off at 4.30pm – has several interesting plotlines, including a juvenile champion with something to prove in City Of Troy and a live runner for 91-year-old owner Bill Gredley in Ambiente Friendly.
City Of Troy, who ran a shocker at odds-on in the 2,000 Guineas last time, seemed to be facing a serious challenge at the top of the market yesterday evening but has put some distance between himself and the rest in the betting this morning at around 3-1.
That reflects a lack of market confidence behind his stable companion at Aidan O’Brien’s yard, Los Angeles, who is out to 13-2, and also a drift on Ancient Wisdom, the six-length runner-up behind Economics in the Dante Stakes, out to 6-1. Ambiente Friendly, the Lingfield trial winner, is 15-2, while Macduff, second in the Sandown Classic Trial in April, is heading the other way, at around 9-1 from 12-1 overnight.
The going at Epsom is good-to-soft, good in places after a dry night, and will continue to dry as the day goes on if the forecast is correct. My thoughts about the likely winner are here, and if you have not just decided to drop everything and head to Epsom, you can, as always, follow all the news and developments ahead of the big race right here on the blog.
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