Black-Type Preview: Godolphin Duo Eye Classic Doubles At Epsom

[Wandering Eyes]

Friday, Epsom Downs, post time: 16:00, BETFRED OAKS-G1, £573,150, 3yo, f, 12f 6yT

Field: Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Elwateen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Giselle (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Go Go Boots (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Minnie Hauk (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Qilin Queen (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Revoir (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Wemightakedlongway (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

TDN Verdict: Desert Flower has possibly stronger credentials than stablemate Ruling Court for getting the Newmarket-Epsom Classic double done and she has proven time and again that she is a top-class filly, but this is further than she wants to go in an ideal world which opens it up. Minnie Hauk will get the trip alright, as she proved at Chester, but she has already been beaten by Wemightakedlongway at two and that G3 Salsabil Stakes winner is a strong stayer who is underestimated due to having suffered a few defeats along the way. When ridden forward, she is a force to be reckoned with and has vital experience to call on should it get tough. Revoir has the pedigree to shine here and is a scary prospect for the big guns to face, being so unexposed and promising. [Tom Frary].

Friday, Epsom Downs, post time: 14:40, BETFRED CORONATION CUP-G1, £450,000, 4yo/up, 12f 6yT

Field: Ancient Wisdom (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

TDN Verdict: None of these could hope to get near the kind of sectionals produced by Calandagan at York last summer and provided the ground doesn't deteriorate, he is the class act. Continuous is possibly here to set the kind of crazy pace he carved out in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last time, but the faster he goes the more the French raider will like it. Giavellotto is another who can produce high-class fractions when the heat is on and could pose the main threat, while Jan Brueghel has yet to prove that he can live with these type of rivals over this trip. Green all year in 2024, he is going to have to man up big time here. [Tom Frary].

Saturday, Epsom Downs, post time: 15:30, BETFRED DERBY-G1, £1,604,000, 3yo, c/f, 12f 6yT

Field: Al Wasl Storm (Ire) (Affinisea {Ire}), Damysus (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Delacroix (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Green Storm (Ire) (Circus Maximus {Ire}), Lambourn (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Lazy Griff (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}), Midak (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), New Ground (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Nightime Dancer (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Nightwalker (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Pride Of Arras (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Rogue Impact (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Ruling Court (Justify), Sea Scout (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Stanhope Gardens (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Tennessee Stud (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Tornado Alert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Tuscan Hills (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}).

TDN Verdict: With rain about, albeit not a great deal, this is not going to be a fast-ground Derby and with such a large field the emphasis could be more on stamina than ever. If that is true, it will suit the G3 Chester Vase winner Lambourn who has the ideal draw in “lucky” stall 10 and who may just have been hiding his true light under a bushel so far. If he's in the mix, the likes of Midak and Lazy Griff may not be too far away and this could be one of those renewals where the principals aren't quite what they are cracked up to be. There are stamina doubts surrounding Ruling Court, Delacroix and The Lion In Winter but none surrounding the G2 Dante winner Pride Of Arras. His York performance was very strong and it is impossible to ignore all his ideal credentials for this race. Possibly underestimated due to the fact that he is not trained at Ballydoyle or sports Godolphin silks, he is under the care of Ralph Beckett who has proven time and again that he knows exactly how to train a top prospect. [Tom Frary].

Friday, Epsom Downs, post time: 13:30, THE NYETIMBER SURREY STAKES-Listed, £75,000, 3yo, 7f 3yT

Field: The Waco Kid (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Diego Ventura (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Rebel's Gamble (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Francisco's Piece (GB) (Mayson {GB}), Hallasan (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Glamis Road (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Formal (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Saqqara Sands (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

TDN Verdict: The race that kicks it all off and the furious downhill ensures that pace will be key. TDN Rising Star Formal showed an abundance of that when with Sir Michael Stoute last year and while the wheels have come off on her two Group-race tests, she retains a lot of potential and is pitched at a meeting at which Cheveley Park like to have success. Diego Ventura has a penalty for his latest win in ParisLongchamp's Listed Prix de Pontarme, while the Listed Radley Stakes runner-up Saqqara Sands might need this return. [Tom Frary].

 

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