Three of the major races of the English flat season take place on Friday (June 2) and Saturday (June 3) at Epsom Downs.
The world’s most famous Derby, the Betfred Derby takes place on Saturday while the Oaks and Dahlury Coronation Cup will take place Friday.
The Derby and Oaks are restricted to three-year-old colts and fillies respectively while the Coronation Cup is open to four years old and overs. All of these classics take place over a distance of one mile and four furlongs and it could be a big meeting for super sire Frankel.
Dahlbury Coronation Cup (Group 1)
A smashing field of nine older horses has been entered for this classic event with four high-class horses dominating the betting for the event. 2022 Oaks runner-up, Emily Upjohn is expected to make her 2023 debut in this event and this filly who was an unlucky runner-up in that event is strongly fancied to give Frankie Dettori a win in his final Coronation Cup ride. This filly impressively won the Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes (Group 1) in her final start in 2022 but she was well beaten in her only try against the opposite sex in 2022.
While there were excuses that day, she will have to contend with two champion sons of Frankel in the Coronation Cup. Juddmonte’s Westover was a fast finishing third in the 2022 Derby before running away with the 2022 Irish Derby.
His season tailed off somewhat after that but he returned in 2023 to run a highly respectable second to Japanese champion and the world’s best horse, Equinox, in the 2023 Dubai Sheema Classic. On that form, he is the one they all have to beat. Another son of Frankel, Hurricane Lane, also stands in the way of Emily Upjohn.
This five-year-old was third in the 2021 Derby before winning that year’s Irish Derby and St Leger. On his last start, he signalled his return to form with an impressive win in the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting. The younger horses may just have his measure.
Aidan O’Brien runs three in Broome, Changingoftheguard and Point Lonsdale. The latter is the best fancied of the trio but he struggled to win his last start at Chester and meets a higher-quality field on this occasion. On form, Westover is the best in this field and the selection to win.
Betfred Oaks (Group 1)
A field of fifteen fillies has been entered for this fillies’ classic. The red-hot favourite for the Oaks is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Savethelastdance. This daughter of Galileo owes her position in the market to her 22-length romp in Chester’s Cheshire Oaks. She beat a very mediocre field that day and the going was quite soft which could exaggerate winning distances.
She could be vulnerable against better quality horses and on a different surface. Her trainer has five other entries in the event but none of them make much appeal although they are all impeccably bred. The main challengers to Savethelastdance would be the Gosden’s duo of Musidorawinner Soul Sister and Running Lion, an impressive winner of the Pretty Polly.
All of these races are proven sources of Oaks winners, and in Soul Sister, the Gosdens have a daughter of Frankel who will also provide Frankie Dettori with his final ride in an Oaks.
This filly was super impressive at York and the only question mark could be the underfoot conditions since she would not want it too soft. Running Lion was also impressive but there is a nagging doubt over her ability to stay the classic distance being a daughter of Roaring Lion.
Others with a bit of a chance are Godolphin’s Eternal Hope who grittily won the Oaks Trial at Lingfield and Heartache Tonight who was a good fourth in the Prix Sant Alary at Longchamp. This race is much more competitive than the betting would suggest and Frankel’s Soul Sister is selected to win the race for Frankie.
Betfred Derby (Group 1)
This is one of the most open Derbies in recent years. Once again two sons of Frankel take on a field made up of numerous trial winners and a disappointing 2023 Guineas favourite. The Guineas favourite, Auguste Rodin was never at the races at Newmarket and trailed in nearer to last than first behind the Guineas winner, Frankel’s son Chaldean.
His trainer Aidan O’Brien had another disappointing well fancied Guineas runner in Little Big Bear and that colt returned to win the Sandy Lane Cup at Haydock which must provide the stable with some confidence of a revival from this son of Japanese super sire, Deep Impact. He faces much tougher opposition than his stable companion, however. Derby’s favourite is Godolphin’s son of Frankel, Military Order.
This colt is seeking to emulate his full brother, the 2021 Derby winner, Adayar, and he has already bettered his brother when impressively winning the Derby Trial (Adayar was second in the 2021 equivalent).
Another son of Frankel, Juddmonte’s Arrest, trained by the Gosdens, was an impressive winner of the Chester Vase and will be seeking to give Frankie Dettori a win in his final Derby ride. This colt has stamina in abundance with the question mark being that he would not want the going too firm.
Others to consider are the Dante winner, The Foxes, Guineas fifth, Dubai Mile, LeopardstownDerby Trial winner Sprewell and the Dante second and third, White Birch and Passenger. The latter has been something of a talking horse for trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, following up an impressive win in the Wood Ditton with an unlucky third in the Dante.
He could be anything but I prefer the two Frankel colts, Military Order and Arrest with a narrow preference for Godolphin’s Military Order. A fascinating race is in prospect,