There are normally about three races a year that I bother with at Epsom and one of them has already been run elsewhere.
There is certainly no Pinatubo in the opening Woodcote Stakes and the short-priced Safe Voyage looks ripe to be beaten in the Surrey Stakes given that four of its nine career wins were at Haydock and two on the Newcastle A/W – hardly the undulations of Epsom. Desert Icon looks thrown in for the big handicap, if he has improved 6lb for stealing a weak five-runner race and he takes to this track.
I fully expect Cloak Of Spirits will end the unbeaten record of Fooraat now that I desert her as her 1000 Guineas runner-up spot subsequently looks moderate form, and what I won at HQ I gave the bookies back at Ascot.
When she won the 1000 Guineas with great authority, Love looked the obvious one to beat in the Oaks and I think that is still the case. Whilst she is a Classic winner, the form of that race has subsequently been devalued but she was a Group 1 winner as a juvenile and all she could do was win well. Frankly Darling won what is usually the Oaks consolation race as a warm-up and is clearly the only really credible opponent, having beaten three of these at Ascot. We will know if she has improved past Love by around quarter to four.
As usual before the race, this is the worst Derby in living memory because there is no obvious big name and people in racing generally have very short memories.
Classic winner Kameko does have a question mark against his stamina and connections presumably will not want any more rain. It is reasonable to assume that at least one of the Ballydoyle six will be making sure that they do not hang around, so how Oisin Murphy decides to ride it will be decisive (do not do a Greville Starkey).
The talking horse Mogul warmed up behind Pyledriver and Mohican Heights in the Ascot Derby, emptying in the final furlong, and is the choice of Ryan Moore, which has hardly been a reliable indicator in recent times. Mohican Heights would be my idea of an each-way that will give followers a good run for their money but is overlooked by the bookies/punters because of where he resides.
Curiously Moore has passed up Royal Ascot winner Russian Emperor, who does have to go an extra two furlongs here but is no forlorn hope. The other big hope for Ireland is staying-on Irish Guineas runner-up Vatican City, another with a stamina question mark but a strong form claim on only his fourth start.
If English King were trained by Sir Michael Stoute or John Gosden, nobody would be in such a hurry to crab his impressive win in the Lingfield Derby Trial. The course should be no problem and the owner has booked an in-form experienced jockey, the reason that he may start favourite, putting a little more pressure on Ed Walker. He seems the most likely option for an impressive winner from what we have seen on the racecourse. Last year’s Lingfield winner did the double but how often has it happened back-to-back?
I hope that whoever wins puts up a noteworthy performance so that we can look forward to a middle distance Classic three year old taking on the older horses. If we wind up with a blanket covering the first half dozen, it is probably another poor renewal.
