Epsom Derby Betting 2018
Epsom Derby Preview with Betting Odds Guide. The horse that won the Lingfield Trial also won the Derby in 2019. English King has the profile to complete the same double when the most prestigious Flat race in Europe takes place at Epsom this Saturday. There was a betting move for the current ante-post favourite in the Derby. Receive a £10 Sports Free Bet, valid on set events only at odds 2.00 or greater. Plus a £10 Casino Bonus, not for Baccarat, wager the Casino Bonus 35x to withdraw, game weighting: Slots/Instant Win:100%.
The 2018 Epsom Derby takes place on Saturday 2nd June with the race due off at 4.30pm (BST). The Derby remains the most prestigious flat race in the UK and is regarded as the ultimate test of the thoroughbred. It is the second Classic of the season for which colts are eligible following the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Guineas is over a mile while the Derby is over a mile and a half and forms the second leg of the Triple Crown. The final leg is over a mile and three-quarters in the St Leger at Doncaster in September. The extreme distance and the timing of the St Leger has seen the Triple Crown lose its allure in recent years.
Saxon Warrior in pursuit of Triple Crown
The last horse to complete the Triple Crown was the brilliant Nijinsky for Vincent O’Brien back in 1970. Aidan O’Brien revived interest in the elusive Classic treble when Camelot came close to ending the drought in 2012. He won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby but was beaten by Encke in the St Leger.
The 2018 Epsom Derby takes place on Saturday 2nd June with the race due off at 4.30pm (BST). The Derby remains the most prestigious flat race in the UK and is regarded as the ultimate test of the. Epsom Derby facts. The English Derby is known in some areas of the world as the Epsom Derby. This is due to the fact that the derby moniker was adopted for other races around the world – most notably the Kentucky Derby – but the English refer to it as simply: The Derby. The Derby is a Group One race run at Epsom Downs over one mile, four furlongs and six yards and is open to three-year-old colts and fillies. Attracting the best middle distance horses from the Classic generation, The Derby.
O’Brien has another prime candidate for the Triple Crown this season in Saxon Warrior. The Ballydoyle trainer is seeking a record-equalling seventh Derby victory, four of which have come in the past six seasons. Saxon Warrior established himself as a leading contender for the Derby when winning the Racing Post Trophy as a two-year-old. He was headed by John Gosden’s Roaring Lion but battled back gamely to win by a neck. That race has historically proven to be a better Derby trial than a Guineas trial. Winners from that race to go on to Epsom glory include High Chaparral (2001), Motivator (2004) and Camelot (2011).
Betting Derby Epsom
Reports of Saxon Warrior having grown enormously through the winter suggested that the Derby would be his main objective. O’Brien decided to let him run in the Guineas with a possible Triple Crown bid in the back of his mind. He quickened up impressively to beat rank outsider Tip Two Win by a length and a half.
Delano Roosevelt among O’Brien Derby entries
Last year it was 40-1 shot Wings Of Eagles who captured the Derby for O’Brien. He is again likely to have multiple representatives, despite having the short-priced favourite.
Delano Roosevelt and The Pentagon finished second and third in the Derrinstown Derby Trial at Leopardstown. The runner-up was beaten two and a half lengths by Saxon Warrior at Naas in September. He then chased home Nelson in the Ballysax Stakes but reversed that form in the Derrinstown. Delano Roosevelt is by Galileo out of an Irish 1000 Guineas winner.
The Pentagon was a well-backed favourite for that race but could only stay on at one pace once headed. The son of Galileo is out of a mare that won over a mile and a half and he finished third in the Racing Post Trophy.
O’Brien also retains faith in Kew Gardens, despite his surprise defeat in the Lingfield Derby Trial. He lost a shoe during that race and was eventually beaten three and a quarter lengths by Knight To Behold. That was certainly an improvement on his previous run when outpaced over nine furlongs behind Mildenburger at Newmarket. O’Brien has indicated that Chester Dee Stakes winner Rostropovich is more likely to run in the French Derby than to take his chance at Epsom.
Young Rascal impressive at Chester
William Haggas won the Derby in 1996 with Shaamit. He has high hopes for Young Rascal, the winner of the Chester Vase recently. The son of Intello won a Newbury maiden by five lengths but put up a much more impressive performance at Chester.
He had to overcome trouble in running around Chester’s tight turns before getting up late and beating Dee Ex Bee. He finished only half a length in front of Mark Johnston’s colt but James Doyle did not have to get serious with him. His odds tumbled from 33-1 to 12-1 after that race and he is owned by the co-founder of Derby sponsors Investec.
Hazapour will bid to provide His Highness The Aka Khan with a sixth win in the race. His colours were famously carried to victory by Shergar in 1981 and most recently by Harzand in 2016. Hazapour is a nephew of Harzand by Shamardal out of a Daylami mare. He quickened up well at the two-furlong marker to hold Delano Roosevelt. The time of the race was slow but that was a fine effort on his first start of the season.
Harry Dunlop’s Lingfield Trial winner Knight To Behold is also bred to win a Classic. He is from the same family as Millenary who won the St Leger in 2000 for his father John. Knight To Behold advertised his claims with an all-the-way win at Lingfield under a positive ride from Richard Kingscote. He held a seven lengths advantage turning for home and never looked like being reeled in. He won’t get such an easy lead at Epsom but he has proven stamina and goes well on good ground.
Ghaiyyath set-back for Godolphin
Ghaiyyath was expected to be Godolphin’s leading Derby hope but missed his intended run in York’s Dante Stakes due to injury. Charlie Appleby’s colt was slightly disappointing on his debut last year and was fitted with a hood for his next start at Newmarket. He made the running and came home five lengths clear of Proschema. He also wore the headgear when taking a Conditions race at the same track in October.
Stable companion Masar won the Craven Stakes by nine lengths and was strongly fancied for the 2000 Guineas. The race was not really run to suit him at Newmarket but he stayed on well to finish third behind Saxon Warrior. His dam was a Group 2 winner at Meydan over nine and a half furlongs. He is not guaranteed to stay a mile and a half but could be asked to step up, should Ghaiyyath fail to recover in time.
John Gosden won the Derby with Benny The Dip (1997) and Golden Horn (2015). Roaring Lion was very disappointing in the Craven but ran much better in the 2000 Guineas to finish fifth. He pushed Saxon Warrior all the way in the Racing Post and returned to his best in the Dante Stakes at York.
After being settled towards the rear by Oisin Murphy, the colt swept through the field to beat Mildenberger by an easy four and a half lengths. The time of the race was slow and it did not appear to be a particularly strong renewal. Bookmakers reacted by slashing Roaring Lion from 20-1 to 7-1 second favourite for Epsom.
Sevenna Star scraped home at Sandown in the Classic Trial in April. He only had a short-head to spare over Ispolini with Hunting Horn back in third. They were both beaten behind Young Rascal at Chester and Gosden is likely to wait for Ascot’s King Edward VII Stakes.
French hopes rest with Study Of Man
France could be without a representative this year unless Pascal Bary sends Study Of Man across the English Channel. He is by Deep Impact, the sire of Saxon Warrior, and burst into the Classic picture with a win in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud. There was a very slow early pace that day and he quickened impressively for Stephane Pasquier. Pour Moi won the same trial before winning the Derby in 2011. Bary also has the option of running Study Of Man in the French Derby which is over ten furlongs.
Elarqam finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas for Mark Johnston. He is by Frankel out of 1000 Guineas winner Attraction and there must be a question mark about his ability to stay the Derby distance. Johnston felt that his Guineas run showed a mile to be on the sharp side but ten furlongs could be his optimum trip.
Derby Betting and TV Coverage
Saxon Warrior (4-5) could start the shortest priced favourite since Camelot won for the same stable at odds of 8-13 in 2012. Roaring Lion (7-1) impressed many with his victory in the Dante but his participation is not yet certain. He will be a clear second favourite if he lines up at Epsom while Young Rascal (12-1) emerged with great credit from the Chester Vase. There are no stamina concerns about the William Haggas-trained colt who has solid each-way claims.
Hazapour (14-1), Delano Roosevelt (20-1) and The Pentagon (20-1) were the first three to finish in the Derrinstown and there should not be much between them at Epsom. Knight To Behold (20-1) and Kew Gardens (33-1) represent Lingfield Derby form. Masar (14-1) is not a certain starter and there are also doubts over Elarqam (25-1), Ghaiyyath (25-1) and Study Of Man (33-1).
The Derby will be televised live in the UK on ITV while NBC Sports covered the Epsom Derby live for the first time in 2017. The estimated global audience is expected to exceed 500 million.
Ask any American racehorse owner which race they’d most like to win, and there’s an excellent chance they’ll say it’s the Kentucky Derby.
A few might go with the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and some might prefer the enormous prize money awarded for races such as the Dubai World Cup ($10 million) and the Pegasus World Cup ($12 million).
There’s no doubt that the vast majority will say the Kentucky Derby, though.
Inaugurated in 1875, it’s one of the oldest Thoroughbred races in the United States. It remains the most prestigious, too, despite some other races now offering higher prize money. No racein the US attracts larger audiences or has quite the same appeal
This probably won’t come as a surprise to you. If you live in the US (and most readers of this blog do), you’ll know just how much attention this race gets when it comes around in May each year.
What you may not know is that the Kentucky Derby was inspired by another horse race – The Epsom Derby. Typically referred to as simply “The Derby,” this race is the richest and most prestigiousin my home country, England.
In fact, it’s arguably the most prestigious horse race of all. It was first run nearly a century before the Kentucky Derby, and it’s the reason the word “derby” became associated with major horseraces throughout the world.
Epsom Derby Betting 2018 Schedule
The 2018 Epsom Derby takes place this weekend. On Saturday, at the esteemed Epsom Downs Racecourse, a field of first-class three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies will be competing forBritish racing’s most coveted prize.
Epsom Derby Betting 2018 Predictions
As a racehorse owner myself, I dream of one day having a runner in The Derby. For now, though, the only interest I have in this race is from a betting perspective.
Which brings me nicely around to the point of this post.
The declarations for this year’s race have been finalized, and the draw took place literally minutes before I started writing this. With the latest odds for all runners available at the leading horse racing betting sites, I now have everything I need to assess the field and determine where the betting value lies.
So, without further ado, here’s my full betting preview of the 2018 Investec Derby (as it’s officially known these days). I’ll start with a look at the draw, followed by the latest odds.
Then I’ll provide my analysis of some of the main contenders and their chances in the race. I’ll finish up with details of any bets I recommend making.