Photograph: Julian Herbert/Getty Images
Read Chris Cook's report from Epsom
Our man is wearing a top-hat and tails in this sweltering heat so that you don’t have to, so the least you can do is read his report on Masar’s win ...
After a hard-fought win for Masar in the Investec Derby, @olibellracing got the reaction of jockey William Buick.
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 2, 2018
Watch LIVE on @ITV pic.twitter.com/0qOt7O9M4o
Godolphin’s royal blue silks were carried to victory in the Investec Derby for the first time as Masar caused a 16-1 upset at Epsom.
Beaten into third in the 2000 Guineas by Saxon Warrior, Charlie Appleby’s colt, who was ridden by William Buick, well and truly turned the tables on Aidan O’Brien’s favourite, who saw his Triple Crown dreams dashed.
Mark Johnston’s Dee Ex Bee stuck on for a game second, with Dante Stakes winner Roaring Lion in third.
Saxon Warrior could only finish fourth after meeting trouble in running.
“It’s not sunk in yet,” Applyby told ITV Racing.
“I’m delighted for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. Firstly for giving me the position to be here. I’ve always said when I started this job I wanted to be the first person to have a Derby winner in Godolphin blue.
“I must thank my team at home. Brett Doyle has done a fantastic job with this horse, the whole team has. William gave him the perfect ride round there.”
How the race unfolded
Masar took a little while to settle and had Saxon Warrior towards his inside in midfield in the early stages. Going around Tattenham Corner, Knight To Behold was in the lead but his challenge petered out very quickly. As Masar made his move and flew for home with three furlongs to go, Saxon Warrior got boxed in and had the door shut in his face two or three times. When he did manage to extricate himself, he offered very little and couldn’t even make the podium.
Masar a 16-1 winner: For the second year in a row, the bookies dodge a bullet and won’t be crying into their port tonight. “I’ve dreamt of this moment ever since I wanted to be a jockey,” says William Buick, the winning jockey in an interview with ITV. “This is everything.”
Investec Derby (4.30) result
1 Masar (W Buick) 16-1
2 Dee Ex Bee (S De Sousa) 20-1
3 Roaring Lion (Oisin Murphy) 6-1
12 ran
Also: 4-5 Fav Saxon Warrior 4th
Tote: win 15.90 places 3.00 4.70 2.20
Tote Exacta: 253.60
CSF: 307.31
Masar wins the Derby ...
This is huge for Godolphin the breeding operation that have remarkably never won a derby before. We’ll pick the bones out of that opne and find out what happened to Saxon Warrior later, but at the moment it’s all about Masar.
Investec Derby (4.30) 1m4f
They approach Tattenham Corner and Saxon Warrior is in all sorts of bother, having his run blocked. Masar streaks clear and wins the Derby under William Buick for Charlie Appleby in the Godolphin colours. MASAR WINS THE DERBY!!!
Investec Derby (4.30) 1m4f
They’re asway and running with Kew Gardens making the early running for Team O’Brien ... Kew Gardens leads them up the climb from Knight To Behold ... the field is separated by about 10 lengths ....
Investec Derby (4.30) 1m4f
They’re loading the stalls and the start of the 2018 Derby is just moments away ...
Investec Derby (4.30) 1m4f
The parade is over and the 12 runners are cantering down to the start, where the loading of the stalls will get under way shortly. Saxon Warrior remains the odds on favourite at 4-5 and looks a picture of relaxation as he canters and then walks down under Ryan Moore.
Which runner will be returning here as a #Derby winner in less than 15 minutes? pic.twitter.com/UoX1HTOjzZ
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) June 2, 2018
Jonny Murtagh speaks: On ITV Racing, the former jockey says that if he was riding in today’s race he’d follow the favourite throughout and leave it very, very late to make his move. “I’d only go around one horse and that would be Saxon Warrior.”
The bookies are sweating and it’s the right way to have them: “Bookies have been forced to shorten Saxon Warrior’s odds over and over again in order to try to mitigate their losses, should he win, as over £20m has been wagered on Saxon alone,” reports Bonuscodebets.co.uk. “Should Saxon win today, bookies will experience the biggest pay out on the Epsom Derby to date.”
Rest assured, if the bookies are forced to pay out a record amount, they won’t be long bouncing back. And they’d might be forced to pay out even more if they weren’t afraid of taking decent sized bets from gamblers who actually know what they’re doing.
Your Derby betting: Saxon Warrior (8-11), Roaring Lion (11-1), Young Rascal (11-1), Hazapour (12-1), Delano Roosevelt (14-1). 25-1 bar.
Less than 30 minutes to go: In the pre-parade ring, Aidan O’Brien is a study in concentration as he goes through the slow, meticulous process of saddling each of his five runners. Our esteemed Racing Editor Tony Paley told me this morning that this promises to be “an extremely tactical race”. You can see right there why he gets the big bucks. But O’Brien’s horses will try to control the Derby, as is customary, ideally to set up the favourite Saxon Warrior for victory.
Investec Diomed Stakes (3.10) report
Century Dream gave Simon Crisford a welcome big-race winner with a smooth success in the Investec Diomed Stakes at Epsom.
The progressive four-year-old was victorious in a Listed race at Ascot last time out and handled the step up to Group Three level with a degree of ease.
William Buick was always in the perfect position as he tracked last year’s winner Sovereign Debt, who took up the running two furlongs out before making his own bid for home.
He took two lengths out of the rest and while the admirable Gabrial made late headway under Frankie Dettori to claim second from True Valour, the 11-4 favourite was never going to be caught. He won by two and a quarter lengths and Crisford, Godolphin’s former racing manager, can now begin to look for some big prizes.
He said: “That’s fantastic. He travelled into the race and quickened up in impressive fashion. We did earmark this race after the last one, but he is ground dependent and wants a little bit of cut, so when it rained we were happy.
“He likes to get his toe in. He galloped all the way to the line and has done it very well. I think we will wait and see what the weather does. If we got really soft ground we would be brave enough to run in a really smart race. I would definitely go travelling with him, but we will see what is around.”
Dash Handicap (3.45) result
1 Tanasoq (J P Sullivan) 12-1
2 Pettochside (Hollie Doyle) 33-1
3 Just That Lord (J F Egan) 16-1
4 Blue De Vega (Oisin Murphy) 8-1
20 ran
Also: 11-2 Fav Dark Shot
CSF: 390.69
Tricast: 6349.51
Dash Handicap (3.45)
Tanasoq wins the dash by two lengths under Jimmy Sullivan for trainer Paul Midgly. Pettochside was second and we’ll bring you the minor placings very shortly. Quite a few horses missed the break and didn’t get much luck in running.
Dash Handicap (3.45) 5f
They’re still loading them for the Dash, where Boom The Groom goes into bucking-bronco mode and tries to throw off his jockey, Sylvestre De Sousa. The jockey tries to cling on, but eventually dismounts before he’s thrown off and remounts again. Eyes front for the day’s big cavalry charge ...
Our next race is the Dash Handicap (3.45pm) cavalry charge with 20 runners sprinting over 5f. Dark Shot (5-1), ridden by Jamie Gormley is the slight favourite ahead of Boom The Groom (7-1) and Caspian Prince (8-1).
Chris Cook’s tip for the next ... The stands’ side has often been the place to be in this, one of the fastest and scariest races of the year, and that seems even more likely to be true after Friday’s races, with the winner of the Coronation Cup finishing hard against the outer rail. Dark Shot is well drawn with that in mind, so long as he is able to hold a respectable position through the early stages. He could not do that last year but finished strongly to be beaten by a short-head. Having changed stables in the winter, he put up a fine comeback effort when second at York a fortnight ago and is surely ready to go close again here. Stalls position has not meant much to Caspian Prince, who won this from a high draw in 2016 and from a low draw last year. His recent form raises doubt as to whether he can do it once more at the age of nine.
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.35) report
Frankie Dettori got on the score sheet on Derby day as Wilamina landed the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom. Martyn Meade’s filly had finished second, albeit at a respectable distance, to the now-retired Wuheida last time out.
Despite being drawn eight of eight, Dettori was able to get a good early position behind the leader Lincoln Rocks before kicking on two furlongs out. Richard Hannon’s Anna Nerium was last round Tattenham Corner but began to make ground hand over fist when Tom Marquand got her balanced, although but she was always running out of ground.
Sent off the 7-2 join-favourite Wilamina held on by three-quarters of a length. Dettori said: “I was drawn eight, but I got a good pitch. I knew she’d stay, so I kicked early. Some horses handle Epsom and she went around Tattenham Corner like it was flat.
“She did everything I asked her to and she won nicely, without really asking her for much. She’s got a good temperament and a big heart, and why not (go for a Group race)? When horses get on an upward curve they can do anything.”
The winner is now 11-2 from 8-1 for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot with Betfair.
Updated
What will be the story in today's Investec Derby? @olibellracing from @itvracing looks back on the rich history of the Epsom Classic! pic.twitter.com/A6Cy2EchQx
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) June 2, 2018
Investec Diomed Stakes (3.10) result
1 Century Dream (W Buick) 11-4 Fav
2 Gabrial (L Dettori) 11-2
3 True Valour (Oisin Murphy) 6-1
7 ran
Also: 8-1 Sovereign Debt 4th
Non Runner: 1
CSF: 16.88
Updated
Investec Diomed Stakes (3.10)
Century Dream justifies favouritism with a comfortable win in the third under William Buick. Gabrial finishes second with True Valour in third. That was as straightforward a win as you’ll ever see on Epsom racecourse. Your winning trainer was Simon Crisford.
More on those Dettori retirement rumours
After a masterful Epsom ride to win our second race, Frankie Dettori unexpectedly made a point of telling the world that he will not be retiring, yet. The 47-year-old has long said he would like to keep on going until he’s 50, making a midseason stoppage just now seem most improbable. But a rumour has nonetheless been doing the rounds to the effect that he was about to call time and at Epsom today that rumour reached gale force, the Italian being asked by one reporter after another whether there was any truth in it.
His answer was emphatic. “I’m not retiring!” he said on dismounting from Wilamina, before he could be asked the question again. Well, you’ll have to retire one day, someone said. “No!” insisted Dettori, smiling but seemingly determined to get the message across. “Not this weekend, anyway.”
Turning to the crowd around the winner’s enclosure, he yelled: “I AM NOT RETIRING!” And to ram the point home, he added: “Five more years!” as he climbed the podium to receive his trophy.
Probably best not to ask him again...
Our third race is the Investec Diomed Stakes (3.10) (Group 3) 1m. William Buick’s mount Century Dream (11-4) currently heads the market, ahead of Silvestre De Sousa’s Love Dreams (9-2). Watch your dreams if you’re betting on either. They’re going into the stalls.
Frankie Dettori is not - repeat not - retiring
There were rumours going around Epsom Downs today that Frankie was going to announce his retirement today or tomorrow, but upon being swarmed by journalists following his win in the last race, he told them in no uncertain terms that these rumours are not true. Uncertain terms that also have no place in a family newspaper website, pre-watershed. Chris Cook is at Epsom Downs for the Guardian and will have more on this story shortly.
Chris Cook’s tip for the third race
Arod [Now a non-runner] may be remembered by some as the fourth-placed horse from the 2014 Derby. Having lost his form here and spent time in Australia, he has returned to a new stable and won at Windsor last month. A better bet could be Century Dream. He can be forgiven a reappearance flop on heavy in France and put up a career best when scoring at Ascot last time.
Updated
Investec Private Banking Handicap (2.00pm) report
Connect showed a smart turn of foot to win the Investec Private Banking Handicap at Epsom. With Friday’s winners using a faster strip of ground on the near-side rail, there was a difference of opinion as to where the best ground was some 24 hours on.
Poet’s Prince went all the way over to the near rail, while several stayed in the middle, but Adam Kirby stuck to the far rail and it paid dividends.
Connect (12-1) had finished last in both his races this season, but Clive Cox fitted the hood for the first time and it made all the difference as he beat Court House by a length and a half.
Cox said: “He didn’t settle at all at Newbury and the ground was too quick and he pulled far too hard. The hood was an experiment, but with the atmosphere you get on Derby day I’m glad we put it on and it made a huge difference. Adam was able to get his hands on his neck early.”
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.35) result
1 Wilamina (L Dettori) 7-2 Jt Fav
2 Anna Nerium (Tom Marquand) 4-1
3 Shenanigans (R L Moore) 7-2 Jt Fav
8 ran
Also: 9-1 Dance Diva 4th
Tote: win 4.00 places 1.50 1.60 1.30
Tote Exacta: 15.70
CSF: 17.63
Tote Trifecta: 56.40
Frankie Dettori speaks: In his post race interview, Frankie Dettori says that, while Saxon Warrior will be hard to beat, he has questions over the horse’s stamina. “There’s a big difference between a mile and two [furlongs] and a mile and a half,” he says.
Frankie rides Hazapour in the big one and on ITV Racing, Francesca Cumani says the horse has a great chance. “He’s very quick and nimble and the course will suit him,”” she says.
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.35)
Wilamina wins under Frankie Dettori to take the spoils for trainer Martyn Meade. Anna Nerium and Shenanigans finished second and third. We’ll have the full result very shortly.
Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.35) 1m 113yds
Having learned from watching or riding in the first race, the jockeys all stay on the far rail as they enter the home straight. Wilamina gets a break and wins under Frankie Dettori by a half a length from Anna Nerium. That’s Frankie’s sixth win in this race.
Updated
Oops! Our second race is the Princess Elizabeth Stakes (2.35) run over 1m and the runners are down at the start. Shenanigans, ridden by Ryan Moore is the slight favourite at 10-3. Anna Nerium, Lincoln Rocks and Wilamina are all around 4-1. Apologies for getting my race name and distance wrong there.
Updated
Frankie Dettori will want to get another win under his belt this weekend following his success on Cracksman yesterday....can Wilamina score here?
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) June 2, 2018
Latest odds
https://t.co/Xfo9siyXda pic.twitter.com/0rG5c14x5g
Chris Cook’s tip for the next race
Fast ground may have been part of the problem for Anna Nerium in the Guineas, when she finished in midfield in a race won by a much less fancied stablemate. Progressive as a juvenile, she was quite an impressive winner of the Free Handicap in April and could resume her upward curve on this more suitable surface. On breeding, she should have plenty of improvement left in her.
Updated
The Clerk of the Course tweets ...
Going @EpsomRacecourse Good, Good to Soft in places after a Race 1. Just slow side of Good consensus amongst jockeys.
— Andrew Cooper (@ACooperClerk) June 2, 2018
ITV pundit Matt Chapman speaks: He and his colleagues seem to be of the opinion that any jockey that goes wide off the rails into the home straight after Tattenham Corner would have to be “insane” after seeing that first race.
Interviewed after his win in the opener, Connect’s jockey Adam Kirby says that while everyone is entitled to their opinion, he’d gone for a canter on the course this morning and decided that staying on the rail rather than going stand side seemed pointless as “it’s a long way over and the ground didn’t seem all that different”.
Court House, who came down the middle of the home straight in the opener, might well have won if he hadn’t lost that ground at the turn.
Investec Private Banking Handicap (2.00pm) result
1 Connect (A Kirby) 12-1
2 Court House (R Havlin) 5-1
3 Shuhood (Gabriele Malune) 11-1
11 ran
Also: 4-1 Fav Poet’s Prince 4th
CSF: 71.18
Tricast: 691.99
Updated
Investec Private Banking Handicap (2.00pm)
Connect wins the first, with Court House in second and Shuhood, who bolted before the start and looked to have no chance, finishes third. We’ll have the official result for you very shortly.
Investec Private Banking Handicap (2.00pm)
“They’re all over the place here,” says Richard Hoiles on ITV as the horses hit the home straight and fan out across the track. The majority involved in the finish were on middle to far side. Connect wins on the far side for trainer Clive Cox and jockey Adam Kirby.
Investec Private Banking Handicap (2.00pm) 1m 2f
They’re away and running in the first and in a nod to what might happen later in the Derby the field go up the inside of the course ... Poets Prince went off the favourite and has a good position in second ...
Shuhood playing up on his way to the start
The 12-1 shot has bolted on his way down to the starts and is eventually pulled up by his jockey Gabriele Malune. He’s been passed fit to run by the vet, but on ITV racing Ed Chamberlin is arguing that he shouldn’t be allowed to on the grounds that he can’t possibly win after expending all that energy and anyone who has backed him will lose their money unless he’s withdrawn.
Chris Cook’s tip for the first race
His winning run came to an end at Ascot last time, when he was outpaced on a fast surface, but Corazon Espinado might be able to go well again in these different circumstances. He won here, at his local track, in April.
Today’s first race: The Derby day action gets started at 2pm with the Investec Private Banking Handicap for three-year-olds, which will be run over 1m 2f.
Poets Prince , trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Joe Fanning is the current market leader at 4-1, with Ship Of Fen and Court House his nearest rivals in the betting market at 11-2. Click on the link to view the odds.
Handing over to Barry Glendenning now who will take you through the action in the build-up to the day’s racing which starts at 2pm, with the big race at 4.30pm. Enjoy!
Lifes’s rich pageantry turns up at the Derby After the appearance of royalty ... the excellent Guardian photography series ‘My best shot’ featured a Derby day theme earlier this year courtesy of photographer Peter Dench ...
... and here’s the fascinating background to the pic ...
The Queen has arrived
Did you travel by train to the Derby today? I have numerous times and, you won’t be surprised to hear given the mess on Network Rail this week, there have been issues. If you’re travelling to Royal Ascot later this month help may be at hand. Zeelo, the on-demand coach service, are running a fleet to the track each day. Leather seats, tables, wi-fi and toilets on board. Plus champagne on arrival and a selection of breakfast nibbles. All for less than £40. Sounds good value to me and you can click here to find out more. And no I’m not getting a backhander. I just hate travelling by train to that meeting and think others ought to know about the alternatives.
Saxon Warrior is the hot favourite but he has to overcome the bogey of being drawn in stall one with no horse having won from that draw this century. The field moves towards the right as they travel uphill soon after the start and Ryan Moore, Saxon Warrior’s jockey, might have preferred to be a little closer to the middle. There have only been three winners from the No 1 box since the race was started in stalls. Here’s how Blakeney did it in 1969 ...
… and this how Roberto won from the inside stall in 1972 (L Piggott gave him a masterful ride …)
... and finally here’s another Epsom genius, Kieren Fallon, on Oath from stall one in 1999 ...
So, aside from the tactics and the going there has been plenty of talk about whether horses would come to the near side stands rail. The field came down the stands’ side in the Oaks here on Friday, as is often the case here when the going is riding soft. The inside rail has been moved overnight to release fresh ground on the far side, however, and with the going continuing to dry out, there is no reason to think that any jockey will be brave – or rash – enough to take a chance and steer across the course.
That, at least, is what a track official told the dozens of photographers here just now. The uncertainty over where the field would end up at the line made their lives very difficult on Friday and a handful were allowed to cross to the stands’ side to photograph the closing stages of the Oaks. The track is “very confident” of a far-side finish today, however, and so they will not be allowing any photographers over to the stands’ side. There will be plenty of very unhappy snappers if they are wrong.
Updated
Going back to the tactics issue it was interesting to hear Kevin Blake of the ITV Racing team outline his idea this morning of how the Aidan O’Brien team will race this afternoon. Blake said he thought they would employ a front-runner to dictate the pace and that The Pentagon would kick on from three furlongs out to draw others into a battle with him while Saxon Warrior, their main hope, is waited with and produced late.
Ground getting quicker at Epsom
One of the key talking points in the build-up to the Derby has been the state of the ground after all the rain on Tuesday that wasn’t forecast and then the lack of downpours and storms that were forecast on Thursday. Epsom clerk of the course Andrew Cooper has just delivered his final verdict before today’s meeting, and the going is getting quicker all the time.
Final walk of @EpsomRacecourse before racing - will leave as Good to Soft, Good in places for now. @TurfTrax Stick 6.5 at 11.30 am, home Straight 6.4 top side 6.0 lower. Will continue to dry though cloud cover at present.
— Andrew Cooper (@ACooperClerk) June 2, 2018
Derby security stepped up after brawls
Drunken brawling and anti-social behaviour in general has been a concern in the early part of Flat racing’s summer season of major Saturday events, and Epsom has been at pains to reassure racegoers in the run-up to this year’s event that it will adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to incidents of violence, drug-taking or drunkenness.
This is the biggest event of the year in Surrey in terms of policing in any case, but there is certainly a very visible presence in terms of uniformed police – some armed – and also sniffer dogs to check all racegoers and their picnic hampers for illegal drugs on the way into the course. I counted nearly a dozen officers and half a dozen sniffer dogs on the relatively short walk from Tattenham Corner to the main grandstand this morning (though it has to be said they were outnumbered at least two-to-one by ticket touts, who were going about their anti-social business of generally making a nuisance of themselves without a care in the world).
In all honesty, Derby day has always had something of a reputation in this regard, something that was memorably captured by William Frith in his famous painting of the afternoon (which in fact took him more than a year to complete). The crowd here for the “People’s Race” has always included aristocrats and villains and everyone in between and for as long as the Derby endures, it is unlikely to be any different. The visible police and security presence, though, should help to ensure that the chance of any serious disturbance is kept to a minimum.
Team tactics have to be on everyone’s mind whenever Aidan O’Brien runs a bunch of horses in a major race, like the five he has in today’s Derby. The rules say each horse must be run on its own merits but most of us are comfortable with the use of pacemakers, even if it is not clear in advance which of the favourite’s stablemates are to be used in that role.
I submit O’Brien’s thoughts on tactics are a deal more sophisticated than picking a pacemaker and giving the jockey a rough idea of how fast to go. In both the 2,000 Guineas and the Lockinge last month, for example, it seemed to me some thought had gone into ensuring the pacemaker gave a lead to the group containing the main Ballydoyle runner, so that one benefited while runners elsewhere across the width of the track had to do more of their own donkey work.
A key moment in Friday’s Oaks came at the top of the straight, when Ryan Moore on O’Brien’s Magic Wand appeared determined to come right over to the stands’ side rail. Just before he got there, he straightened up and left room on his outside for the eventual winner, Forever Together, also O’Brien’s, to get a clear run up the rail, where the best of the ground was.
There’s no way that could have been a pre-planned manoeuvre but it’s a fair question whether Moore would have been as willing to concede the space to a horse from a rival stable. My own view is that he might have had to give way in any case, because the other horse was travelling much more strongly than his; had Moore continued heedlessly to the rail, he’d have been risking serious interference.
But I think we can say with some confidence that O’Brien’s other four will be careful not to get in Saxon Warrior’s way if they can possibly avoid it. And that’s the tricky bit for O’Brien and his jockeys because the team tactics rule forbids a manoeuvre made “in the interests of another horse in common ownership or under common control or from the same stable or team, whether or not such a manoeuvre causes interference or causes [the rider’s] horse to fail to achieve its best possible placing”. This is the line which must not be crossed.
It must also be noted that O’Brien’s runners are there to win if they can and there have been many examples of him winning Group Ones with a horse that had seemed to be his second or third string, notably Wings Of Eagles in last year’s Derby. The Oaks and the Tattersalls Gold Cup are two examples of that in the last week alone
For punters, a fun and potentially expensive game is to second-guess O’Brien. If you pick the right second-string, you’ll be on a horse at big odds with a live chance. Or you might realise, 15 seconds into the race, that you’re on the one that’s being used to set a strong pace ...
Updated
Preamble
Good morning from Epsom racecourse, where an expectant mass of humanity has been assembling from early morning, ready to watch a dozen horses career around a mile-and-a-half of downland that will test their physical and mental athleticism like nowhere else. This is no place for pessimists, and only a handful have bothered to pack a brolly thanks to a forecast which suggests the whole day will be dry and warm – around 24C, in fact, by the time of the Derby itself.
That is excellent news for the racegoers, but less auspicious for anyone who had already made up their mind about the likely winner over the course of the last week when the odds were that this would be the first soft-ground Derby for three decades. Andrew Cooper, the clerk of the course, has already changed the going description once this morning, from good-to-soft, soft in places to good-to-soft, good in places, which suggests that the track is drying fairly rapidly and there seems every chance that it will be good ground, or something very close to it, by the time of the big race.
And as the ground has continued to dry up, so have the odds-against quotes about Saxon Warrior, the 2,000 Guineas winner, and he is now back to odds-on at 8-11 pretty much across the board. Every other runner in the race is at double-figure odds, and any one of three from Young Rascal, Roaring Lion and Hazapour could emerge as the eventual second-favourite.
All three are guaranteed to attract each-way support from punters looking to oppose the short-priced favourite, and Roaring Lion is possibly the one who will attract most money if the punters really run with the idea that the track is getting quicker.
Hazapour has the Frankie Dettori factor, but for me, Young Rascal is the best each-way alternative and a very plausible winner. I loved the way he got himself out of trouble in the Chester Vase and then won with plenty in hand – you could really see the penny drop as he quickened through a gap – and I’ll be with the Rascal and James Doyle at around 10-1 as they set off at 4.30.
Everyone will have their own opinion, though, so please feel free to share yours here, as well as following all the news and market moves as one of the great racing days of the year unfolds at Epsom.
