Key events
One thing for certain today … it’s quick ground out there …
Diomed Stakes (12.50pm) betting
2-1 Kolsai
9-4 Highland Avenue
5-1 Regal Reality
8-1 Escobar
12-1 Imperial Fighter
12-1 Marie’s Diamond
Full betting on Oddschecker
Diomed Stakes (12.50pm) preview
Greg Wood
A Group Three contest over a mile to kick off the card, and a slightly uneasy favourite in Highland Avenue, who is out to around 2-1 from around 11-8 overnight. That reflects some support for Roger Varian’s lightly-raced Kolsai, the only three-year-old in the field, but Charlie Appleby’s runner has stronger form and is also relatively lightly-raced for his age, with only one race in the book since March 2022. He had been off for 14 months before running his stable-companion Adayar, the 2021 Derby winner, to three lengths at Newmarket last month and will be hard to beat if he arrives in similar form here.
SELECTION: KOLSAI
Those heading to Epsom are going to be a part of the long history of the race, the most famous Flat race in the world and the one with the greatest tradition. It’s had its troubles keeping step with younger whipper-snappers that have been created with much bigger prize money but it’s still every breeder, trainer, owner and jockey’s dream to be first past the post in the big race today. Nicholas Clee has written a wonderfully readable new tome called Horses for Courses with a lovely chapter on Epsom. It’s published by Wiedenfeld and Nicholson and more details can be found here.
Frankie Dettori has walked the track with the trainers of Arrest, John and Thady Gosden.
The big question today, apart from will the Derby go off on time or if it will at all, is will Frankie Dettori win? And for punters it will be will he go off favourite as that makes a big difference in terms of value. Pat Cooney, the face of bookies Bet365, said this morning, that contrary to reports in the press, “Frankie winning would not be a bad result,” while the folks at BestofBets.com tell me “savvy punters are chasing for value elsewhere”. At the moment incredibly it’s 5-1 co-favourite Auguste Rodin, Arrest and Military Order. You can keep abreast of the latest betting moves via Oddschecker here.
There are now more details in our story on the arrests made this morning ahead of the Derby. A spokesman for Surrey Police said 11 people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours and a further eight people were arrested after their vehicle was stopped on Canons Lane in Burgh Heath at around 10.20am.
Superintendent Michael Hodder of Surrey Police said: “We have been clear in our approach that criminal activity will not be tolerated at the Epsom Derby Festival. As a result of intelligence, we have arrested 19 people who we believe were intent on illegally disrupting today’s events. Our officers will be at the event throughout the day to continue in keeping the public safe and preventing criminality.”
In a defiant announcement following the arrests, Animal Rising said police would not stop them from disrupting the Derby. They said: “Earlier this morning, at least 10 arrests were made by Surrey Police, allegedly in connection with the Epsom Derby. This comes after reports of facial recognition camera around Epsom Downs Racecourse. Police heavy-handedness and intimidation tactics will not prevent a national conversation about our animals and the natural world. It restates its commitment to protect horses and disrupt the Derby.”
I’ve been an advocate of a late, late Derby start for some time. Can you imagine the viewing figures if ITV had the race on at primetime on Saturday evening with a panoply of stars and a show themed around the event. I think a chance has been lost this year. Matt Chapman revealed on the Morning Show programme today that ITV had offered to show the Derby at 6.45pm tonight after the Cup Final was moved to 3pm from its original approximately 4.30pm kick-off but the racing bigwigs turned the idea down.
Barry Glendenning
I’ve just been out to survey the patch of roundabout grass that is the official Jockey Club-sanctioned Animal Rising protest area, located outside the main entrance to the racecourse. It is extremely sparsely populated, with about a dozen people, some of them in pink T-shirts with one waving a flag, standing or sitting around under the watchful eye of four members of the constabulary. Reports suggest there have been 19 arrests already but I have been in situ since early this morning, walked the course about an hour ago and have yet to see any sign of trouble.
Early arrests made at Epsom
Nineteen people have been arrested in connection with plans to disrupt the Epsom Derby Festival on Saturday, Surrey police are reporting. You can find all the latest details in our news report here.
Hello and welcome to the strangest Derby day of modern times. The race (scheduled for 1.30pm) will be off and finished before most of us have had our lunch because the Cup Final was moved to 3pm instead of a later kick-off. Or will it? Animal Rising protesters say they are determined to stop (or at least delay) the Derby so who knows. This, last night on Talk TV, was a very good introduction to the issues whether you’re pro or anti- horse racing.
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Epsom racecourse, where what will probably be a smaller crowd than usual is starting to assemble a good deal earlier than usual, before what may yet come to be known as the Arrest Derby – if Frankie Dettori can get the likely favourite home in front – or the Multiple Arrests Derby, if activists from Animal Rising turn up in serious numbers. And there are, of course, many more possible outcomes too in what is, from many angles, as open a Derby as we have seen for years.
Arrest shot to the top of the market on Friday afternoon after his soon-to-be-retired jockey took the two biggest races on the opening day card, but the colt’s actual chance is no better than it was on Friday morning.
He was a clear favourite with all major bookmaking firms last night, but only the joint second-favourite behind Auguste Rodin on the Betfair exchange, where the players do not need to worry about liabilities running up. And he has duly drifted a little with the bookies too this morning, with Auguste Rodin and Military Order both marginally ahead of him in the lists.
Arrest, Auguste Rodin, Military Order and Passenger are all potential favourites – or co-favourites – when the stalls crash open, while four more of the runners in the 13-strong field are likely to go off at 20-1 or shorter and only three really qualify as near-total no-hopers.
It is a fascinating race that deserves to be the centrepiece of the sporting afternoon, but the FA Cup final has muscled on to its territory – for one year only, thankfully – and it will instead go off at 1.30pm, which is probably the earliest start time in its long history. If Animal Rising get their way, however, it will not go off at all, and while that seems a fairly remote possibility, everyone at the track will be on high alert in the hours leading up to the Classic.
The Jockey Club has spent around £150,000 to beef up the normal security arrangements following the threats by Animal Rising, and another undisclosed but no doubt chunky amount to obtain an injunction at the high court last week to deter incursions on to the track.
If the race goes ahead without a hitch, it will be seen as money well spent. If not, the Jockey Club has a big legal stick with which it can pursue anyone who gets on the course for damages.
Other potential storylines this afternoon include the possibility that 76-year-old Jessica Harrington will become the first female trainer to saddle a Derby winner if Sprewell comes home in front, while Charlie Johnston, 32, could strike at the first attempt with Dubai Mile, having taken over the licence at his family’s Middleham yard over the winter from his father, Mark.
It promises to be a slightly strange Derby day, and perhaps over all too soon, but you can follow the action as it happens here on the Guardian’s live blog as a certain Mr Dettori attempts to bring his career in the Epsom Classics to a close on a remarkable high.
