Your horse-by-horse guide to the 2014 Investec Derby June 7, 2014 Arod Bidding to give Peter Chapple- Hyam a third Derby, the colt was a fast-finishing second in the Dante. That form was boosted massively when the winner, The Grey Gatsby, won the French Derby last Sunday. Shouldn’t be dismissed but doesn’t want rain. Australia Described by Aidan O’Brien as the best he’s ever trained, the [...]
Selling that Derby dream June 7, 2014 Bill Esdaile speaks to Tattersalls’ Jimmy George about how to sell the best horses in the world WHEN John Magnier raised his hand for the last time for Lot 172 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale back in 2012, he did so with today’s date firmly in mind. He’d just paid 525,000 guineas on behalf [...]
Take Mirsaale and Saptapadi against the field in the Investec Zebra Stakes June 7, 2014 RACE 6 4.50pm Investec Zebra Stakes FAVOURITES have a terrible record in the Investec Zebra Stakes with just one obliging in the last 10 years. Today’s renewal looks as tricky as ever. One trend in recent times is that the higher-rated runners are winning. The last three victors all carried at least 9st 5lb and [...]
Arctic Feeling well set in repeat bid for the Voyage By Investec Stakes June 7, 2014 RACE 7 5.25pm Voyage By Investec Stakes THE VOYAGE By Investec Stakes is also known as the ‘Get Out of Jail Stakes’ and bettors across the land will be hoping to extricate themselves from a punting hole by picking the winner of this sixfurlong handicap. Just two winners in the last 10 runnings have been [...]
Classic glory for Hanagan as Taghrooda lands Oaks June 6, 2014 TRAINER John Gosden believes Taghrooda “can handle anything” after the filly earned him a first victory in the Oaks and a maiden Classic triumph for former champion jockey Paul Hanagan at Epsom yesterday. The daughter of former Derby winner Sea The Stars went off priced at 5-1 but romped to a convincing threelength victory ahead [...]
Brick Lane welcomes Tech City wiff waff June 5, 2014 FACEBOOK lost against Funding Circle in the final of last night’s Ping Pong Fight Club, an event bringing together London’s more hand-eye co-ordinated tech companies, just off Brick Lane. Organised by Mind Candy – the tournament saw 14 of Tech City’s finest battle it out for the crown of Ping Pong Champ. Fancy it? Mind [...]
Snow Sky withdrawal leaves 16 battling for Derby victory June 5, 2014 SIXTEEN runners are set to contest tomorrow’s Investec Derby after the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Snow Sky was withdrawn yesterday, on the eve of the Epsom meeting. Khalid Abdullah’s colt failed to recover from a minor knock to a joint. The Lingfield Derby Trial winner had been trading at 20-1, but was deemed “not 100 per [...]
Tarfasha primed to lead home Sheikh Hamdan Investec Oaks one-two June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S INVESTEC OAKS THE JOB of clerk of the course can be difficult at the best of times, but Andrew Cooper, the man in charge of producing the best possible surface for this weekend’s Investec Derby Festival, must have been tearing out the few hairs he has left over the past fortnight. [...]
Thistle Bird and Gregorian set for more Epsom glory June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S OTHER RACES AND LOOKS AHEAD TO TOMORROW’S INVESTEC DERBY MUCH talk in the lead-up to the Investec Derby Festival is about the uniqueness of Epsom and it’s not a point to be underestimated. Some horses handle it and some don’t. Today’s action looks tricky so perhaps it’s best to focus primarily [...]
Investec Derby Preview June 5, 2014 THE 235th running of the Investec Derby at Epsom is a puzzle that I am struggling to solve at the time of writing. Alarming weather predictions mean none of us really know what state the ground will be in come 4.00pm tomorrow. We do know that short-priced favourite Australia does not want it soft according [...]