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The Derby Betting – Latest news from Epsom

THE EPSOM DERBY – LATEST BETTING NEWS

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The 2008 Vodafone Epsom Derby (Group 1) will take place at Epsom racecourse in Surrey, and will be contested by 17 3-year-old thoroughbreds over a distance of 1m 4f. The Derby rarely produces a real shock as the main contenders have established themselves in the ante post betting prior to the race.

Dermot Weld’s Casual Conquest (4/1, Bet365) became the ante-post favorite for the Epsom Derby before he was even officially entered in the race, having been an impressive winner of the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, at Leopardstown recently. Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle outfit field four runners, Alessandro Volta, Bashkirov, King of Rome and Washington Irving. Based on jockey bookings, the “stable selected” is unclear, but appears to be either Frozen Fire or King of Rome. Neither have the apparent class to win a Derby, but O’Brien’s runners can never be completely discounted.

Sir Michael Stoute’s Tartan Bearer (5/1, VC Bet) won York’s Dante Stakes, a race that has yielded three of the last four Derby winners. Doctor Fremantle (8/1, Blue Square), from the same yard, was supplemented to the Derby after winning the Chester Vase. It is worth noting that the stable has won the race twice in the last five runnings, once with a supplemented runner. Tajaaweed (12/1, Bet 365), a narrow winner of Chester’s Dee Stakes, also represents the mighty Stoute yard. Henry Cecil has trained four Derby winners and his Kandahar Run (20/1, Ladbrokes) is expected to run well at Epsom Downs. Winner of a strong 10f Listed race at Newmarket, his pedigree suggests that 1m 4f may be stretching his stamina.

New Approach (6/1, BlueSq) was recently beaten into second place in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas. Undoubtedly a talented runner, he may struggle though on Epsom’s fast ground and run out of steam in the closing stages of the race. Saeed Bin Suroor’s Rio De La Plata (20/1, Ladbrokes) ran very well to be second in the French 2000 Guineas. He has Frankie Dettori doing the steering, but definite question marks regarding stamina for the 1m 4f trip. Luca Cumani’s ex-Irish-trained Curtain Call (5/1, blue Square) won a Nottingham conditions race, as he was entitled to do. His lack of a run since does not inspire confidence.

Paul Cole’s River Proud, supplemented for £75k on Monday is an non-runner, being found to be partially lame on Friday morning.

LATEST BETTING

21/5 Casual Conquest (sportingbet), 5/1 Curtain Call (Paddy Power) 11/2 New Approach (sportingbet), 7/1 Tartan Bearer (William Hill), 9/1 Dr. Fremantle (Stan James), 10/1 Tajaaweed (sportingbet), 14/1 King of Rome (Ladbrokes), 20/1 Kandahar Run, Rio De La Plata (both William Hill), Frozen Fire (Ladbrokes), 33/1 River Proud (Paddy Power), 40/1 Washington Irving (Ladbrokes), Alessandro Volta (sportingbet), 200/1 Bouguereau (Ladbrokes), 250/1 Alan Devonshire (William Hill), 500/1 Bashkirov (Ladbrokes), 1000/1 Maidstone Mixture (William Hill). Each-way terms ¼ the odds a place 1, 2, 3.