The Epsom Derby will bless the screens of horse racing fans on June 3rd and with this being the highest-paying flat race in Britain, you’re sure to see the best three-year-old colts the game has to offer on show. We’ll be taking a look through the runners for the big race and see what the betting sites are suggesting will happen.
Military Order
Military Order made it three wins in a row last week at Lingfield thanks to a gutsy performance with William Buick in the saddle, as he will be at Epsom. After that win, the bookmakers made him the favourite for the Epsom Derby at 3/1.
The Godolphin-owned horse was sent off 4/5 favourite on his debut at Newmarket and subsequently disappointed after finishing 4th out of 10 in the field. He was sent off the odds-on favourite for his next race and since then has won all three races as the favourite in each of those.
This Frankel colt came into the world with promising potential on pedigree and he is hitting his straps at the perfect time.
Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin is another horse that has been sent off as the favourite in every one of his races. He was all set to start favourite for the Epsom Derby, but following a disappointing run when sent off fav at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas, he’s drifted to around the 4/1 mark.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien still believes Auguste Rodin should be favourite for the Derby despite his Guineas flop. He’s also claimed he is still their best prospect for years and there’s not much doubt in his mind that Auguste Rodin will be very competitive in the Derby.
It’s a bit of a gamble considering his 12th-place position in the Guineas, but if all the hype from his trainer is anything to go by, he could be a great bet.
Arrest
Arrest cruised to victory on the 10th of May thanks to a lovely ride from Frankie Dettori at Chester in the Chester Vase. Dettori has had some great success on his ‘farewell tour’ season so far, and he’s got a serious chance in both the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom (he will be riding Soul Sister in the fillies Classic).
Many people are buying into the Dettori hype train and another Derby win could cap off what has been a legendary career for the jockey. Arrest has seen his price slashed by more than half to win the Derby following Dettori’s success, and with the form favouring the Juddmonte-owned horse you can see why there is support in the market.
Passenger
Despite Passenger finishing 3rd in the Dante, he was for many people the most impressive horse in the race. Plenty of traffic issues throughout caused the horse to lose all winning chance and a third-place finish was still a great achievement all things considered.
Before this race, Ryan Moore steered him to glory in Newmarket for a winning debut where he was priced at the 11/1 mark. This horse is clearly very talented and with a favourable ride could distance clear of the field here, Richard Kingscote is likely to retain the ride once again and with him winning this race last year aboard Desert Crown for the same trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Passenger could be a shrewd choice for Derby glory.
The Foxes
Going back to the Dante, it was The Foxes who landed the spoils and is just behind the aforementioned Passenger in the market. With a name like The Foxes, it should come as no surprise to hear that it’s King Power Racing who own the horse and whilst he may not be as big as the famous 5000/1 that will forever be synonymous with Leicester, 8/1 is still not a bad price for another win here at Epsom.
The Foxes has finished no worse than 2nd in his last four races and with some solid form coming into the Derby he will be on everyone’s radar. The horse sat comfortably in the Dante and made a late charge on the outside and continued to find more as he romped to victory. It’ll be interesting to see if that can happen again but in one of the most wide-open Derbies we have seen for some time, it is a case of anything could happen.
