NOTHING beats the Epsom Derby for prestige and tradition – and very few things can match finding the winner of it.
That’s exactly why we’ve got Templegate to look at the big June 3 feature and find us a horse worth backing now.
Does legendary trainer Harrington have the Derby winner among her ranks?Sportsfile – Subscription
Our man has also unearthed a 33-1 gem for the Oaks the day before.
Here, Steve Mullen (Templegate to you and me) explains his selections.
Epsom Derby
12-1 Sprewell
I’VE got a Well good bet for the Derby.
SPREWELL sprouted wings when winning the Leopardstown Derby Trial in great style earlier this month.
Jessica Harrington’s colt saw off the usual battalion of horses trained by people called O’Brien to score by an impressive three lengths.
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The ground was testing on the day but he seemed to float across it and powered right through the line.
The son of Churchill looked well balanced and should have no problem handling the Epsom roller-coaster ride on June 3.
He has only run on soft ground but his sire produces plenty of winners in quicker conditions.
He is bred to get the mile and a half and looked every inch a stayer when scoring under Shane Foley.
Bear in mind that the likes of Sinndar and Galileo took this race before heading to the Derby.
Maybe because he’s not trained by an O’Brien, the bookies have been strangely generous in offering 12-1 for the big race itself.
Connections made positive noises about heading to Epsom over The Curragh and so they should.
Epsom Oaks
33-1 Heartache Tonight
The front of the market is dominated by Savethelastdance who was awesome when winning at Chester even if she didn’t have a lot to beat.
She is the right favourite as things stand but 6-4 is a skinny price to be taking a couple of weeks in advance.
The Aidan O’Brien filly is likely to be the same odds or – should something else emerge in the meantime – a bit longer.
So let’s throw an each-way dart at a filly who is worth following whether she takes up her Epsom engagement or not.
HEARTACHE TONIGHT is the lady in question and she shaped well when a close-up second over 1m2f in a French Group 1 at the weekend.
She improved from her debut but still looked as though there was more to come as she faded into a good fourth in the closing stages.
David Menuisier’s filly looks as though the Oaks trip will be ideal and she has every chance of making the frame at the current 33-1.