Epsom Derby day review and free video replays

Persica takes gold

Persica (9/2) gave the London Gold Cup form a boost with a smooth performance in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Lester Piggott Handicap.

Fourth in the historically strong Newbury contest last time, Persica was easy to back in face of support for Portsmouth but comfortably accounted for the favourite who had to settle for second.

Jumped out in front by Sean Levey, he had Golden West for company but the pair raced well within themselves. Portsmouth, as is his wont, was a shade keen on the inside but got a dream run through on the inside and got alongside Persica as the pair pulled clear of the field.

He couldn’t, though, go with Richard Hannon’s runner who quickened nicely when asked, winning by two and a quarter lengths and three lengths. Red Hot Whisper was third with Blake, who didn’t look entirely happy on the track, running on well for fourth.

Hannon told Racing TV: “We’ve always thought he was a very good horse and he’s definitely upwardly mobile. He was able to do it his way today which was a massive advantage. He’s quite lightly raced but he’s a little bit fragile mentally and Sean gave him a lovely ride. I didn’t think it would suit him here in terms of the crowd and the proximity to all the people; as he grows up he could turn into a Group horse I hope.”

Levey added: “Being drawn 11 my hands were tied to what I could do; it was either try and get him settled in amongst them and sacrifice getting caught three deep or further back than you wanted to be and, to be honest, I messed it up last time at Newbury. He jumped, left the gates quite sharply, and I felt as though he was going to be keen and I took him back and looked for cover, and as a result I ended up with a lot to do when I turned in; he closed very well but I left him with a mountain to climb and I said as much when I came in so I was sure not to be making the same mistake again!

“He’s matured a lot and he seems to mature with every run. Going down to the start he normally gets quite hot and he didn’t today, he gave me the best ride down to the start. I thought from 11 if I could get up there and get across I felt that he would settle under me and I could do what I needed to do. There is a question mark as to how well he gets a mile and a quarter; from the back of today I think he gets it quite strongly but he does show a nice little turn of foot to go with it so we kind of had to roll the dice today and see how good he is and whether or not he definitely stays.”

Breege scrambles home

Breege (5/1) won a messy renewal of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored By My Pension Expert).

Julia Augusta took them along in the Group 3 on debut for David O’Meara with favourite Running Lion – withdrawn from the Oaks last year after getting upset in the stalls – tracking her on the inside. There was no way out for Oisin Murphy who was kept in by Astral Beau and Breege so he went for a bold run up the inside but Running Lion was never able to get past Julia Augusta who rolled over towards the rail, tightening the gap.

There was no such problem for Breege, racing a couple off the rail and she ran on well despite not looking entirely happy on the course. She still had to hold off late challenges from Sea Of Thieves and Chic Colombine with the latter one of several fillies who enjoyed little luck in the extended mile contest.

Trained by John and Sean Quinn, it was a first success for Breege since her debut. Chic Colombine was a neck back in second with Royal Dress, another who had little racing room, half a length away in third.

John Quinn said on ITV Racing: “She was second at Royal Ascot and at Glorious Goodwood; she’s run well, well, well without having much luck. Her comeback run this year at Goodwood, the ground was very soft and she got stuck on the inside and she got beaten two short-heads.

“She’s been training well the last couple of weeks and we’d been hoping that she’d run well and it’s great that she got her head in front. She’s a very well bred filly. Her mother is a brother to The Wow Signal, the best two-year-old we’ve trained, and Andrew (Black) being an owner / breeder, it’s fantastic for him.

“So long as she’s okay she’ll go to Royal Ascot for the Group 2 fillies’ race, the Duke Of Cambridge.”

Winning rider Jason Hart commented: “It’s hard to believe that she’s only ever won a maiden. She’s got some high class form; she has always threatened to win a big one but hopefully that can be a springboard now to have a good year.

“All I know is that I got a lovely run into the race. I was sat fourth and I was aware Oisin went down the inside and I was just hoping he wasn’t going to get a run on me. She’s come out on the wrong side a lot but she’s on the right side today.”

Scotsman sparkles at Epsom

Royal Scotsman returned to his best with a smart performance in the Betfred Diomed Stakes.

Sent off at 17/2 in an open renewal of the Group 3 contest off the back of a disappointing return in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes (for which he was not unfancied), a change of tactics was employed with Royal Scotsman jumped out in front by Jamie Spencer.

He travelled strongly and quickened effortlessly when asked to about Spencer and opened up by five or six lengths with his rivals struggling. They did close at the line with the winning margin just two and a quarter lengths but the race had long since been won.

Royal Dubai was second and Highland Avenue third.

Royal Scotsman was only beaten a head by Chaldean in the 2022 Dewhurst and finished third behind the same horse in the 2000 Guineas before disappointing on his final two outings in 2023.

Oliver Cole, who trains the winner in conjunction with his father, Paul, said: “We’ve done a lot of stalls work in the last 10 days or so, put a Monty Roberts run on him and got him straight. In the Lockinge, what we found is his head was getting cocked when he was coming out of the stalls and the Monty Roberts and going forward sorted it all out.

“I spoke to Jamie three times this week, telling him just to hold the neckstrap – I told him very respectfully because he’s a jockey and I’m not – give him all the rein he can possibly give him and just go forward. He’s done it very well and the plan was always to go forward today so he can relax in front. We won three Group races from the front last year, and it just settles them down, especially these Gleneagles, who are quite highly strung. If you get in a tussle early on, it costs you at the end and he proved that at the end of his two-year-old career and as a three-year-old. He’s done it very well and we couldn’t be happier.”

When asked if he was surprised how easily he was going at the furlong pole, Spencer joked: “When you get to King’s Cross Station you board as a passenger and that’s exactly what I was.

“The ground is important, he got his toe in today and Mr Cole’s at it a long time. I was dubious but he said just let him jump well and get him to prick his ears but he didn’t, for half a mile he had a run on me and he told me not to restrain him. He pricked his ears just before turning in and when they do that they’re actually taking a breath.

“It’s handy to have those screens the whole way down the straight, I kept having a peak and thinking ‘oh lovely, still a few lengths clear’.”

Connections mentioned the Sussex Stakes and Lennox Stakes – both at Glorious Goodwood – as possible targets with Spencer not dismissing out of hand the suggestion that Royal Scotsman could even drop back to six furlongs and Cole concurred, adding: “We could even drop him back to seven furlongs or six, he’s such a good horse and it would not surprise me if he won a Group One over six furlongs. He’s so fast at home and the speed he gets up to and the ground he covers is amazing.

“Maybe he will go to the Sussex Stakes now. He has an entry at Ascot, but I think that will come too quick. Now we’ve got the hang of him, hopefully there is fun to be had. It would be brilliant to take him back to Goodwood and see what he is made of, but what a relief today is.”

Blue for Value

Blue Storm (8/1) took the second running of the Betfred 3YO “Dash” Handicap.

Advised by Value Bet at 12/1, Rossa Ryan had Blue Storm towards the stands’ side rail but switched his mount approaching the final furlong and launched his challenge once in the clear.

Gemma Tutty’s charge picked up strongly and ran straight and true unlike one or two of his rivals including the second-placed Sturlasson and third home Due For Luck. Enchanting was fourth and Curious Rover fifth.

It was not only a first winner at Epsom for Tutty but also her first visit to the track and the delighted handler said: “I knew he was fast, we like him a lot but you need everything to go right here but that’s the horse that we thought he was. En route to Ascot we were just hoping for a good run but to win on the way there is unbelievable.

“It’s a brilliant team effort from everyone at home, owners old and new. Mr Lowe put faith in me in my first season so it’s lovely to reward him. I called him and said ‘I think I’ve got a very fast all-weather horse for you’ and he said ‘right, I’m in’. We were third and then we won and then we went up to 88 and there were absolutely no races on the all-weather and I said ‘I’m sorry David we’re going to have to wait for the turf’ but he’s proven he can do it on both now.”

Ryan said: “He’s very quick. The first two furlongs I was a small bit out of my comfort zone but three out he latched on and travelled. He won at Southwell in the winter and he didn’t see daylight until the furlong pole so I wasn’t scared that I wouldn’t have the turn of foot when I hit the hill; he picked up really well. It’s great for someone like Gemma to get a big winner on a day like today and Dave Lowe as well – they have a nice customer in this lad.

“He’ll only do probably what he has to do but I always thought I was holding the second easily. The thing is he makes riding five furlongs very simple because he’s got so much speed you can just sit and suffer because you know he will pick up for you.”

There was a sad postscript with Tears Of A Clown suffering a fatal injury.

Dream comes true

Dream Composer (6/1) put his head in front on the line to win the Aston Martin “Dash” Handicap for Joe Leavy and James Evans.

Clarendon House stood in the stalls and effectively refused to race but in sharp contrast, Democracy Dilemma was quickly into stride and crossed to the stands’ side rail. He stuck to his task gamely and looked to have seen off his challengers but had no answer to the last, late lunge from Democracy Dilemma.

Looking For Lynda took third and Antiphon fourth.

It was a first ride at Epsom for Leavy who said: “It’s amazing. For it to be in The Dash as well, I don’t think there’s a race in England like it. It was fast and it was furious but it really suited my lad. He’s a bit lazy early doors but he stays very well, once he got his daylight he came home well.

“To be honest, coming to the half pole I thought I’d take a lot of beating, I thought I had Rossa beaten. I know the horse well and it’s probably a help but every time we ride him we seem to get better as a pair, to come to Epsom and win a Dash is huge.”

Evans added: “He’s been brilliant for us all the way along. He’s always kept delivering for us every year but today is the icing on the cake to win one like this. He’s won a class 2 and he’s won at a few grade one tracks, we’ve had great fun with him but this was a step up for him and us.”

It was an emotional success for owners Peter Clarke Racing Partners with one of their number having recently passed away; his ashes accompanied the owners to the course and his widow, Jan, said: “It means a lot to us today. He’s done it for Trev.”

Relentless run

Relentless Voyager (7/1) produced a relentless run to readily run away with the Long Shot Northern Dancer Handicap.

Ridden by Murphy, he hit the front over a furlong from home and put the race to bed in a matter of strides. Ziggy, sent off the 4/1 favourite, didn’t enjoy the clearest of passages and recovered to stay on for second but could not have been deemed unlucky.

Asgard’s Captain was third and the popular veteran and dual purpose performer Not So Sleepy took fourth.

Winning handler Andrew Balding said: “He’s a decent horse and he was a bit unlucky in the Italian Derby last year.

“He had a wind issue that has happily been resolved and he’s in a really good place at the moment.”

Murphy, who’d had four seconds at the meeting to go with Friday’s win on Evade, said: “That was super. He had a wind operation and ran well at Newmarket on his reappearance.

“He definitely improved from that and today he was in the right race and relaxed and travelled.”

Play Misty for me

Mr Wagyu, first and third in previous cracks at the JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap, was collared in the final strides by top-weight Misty Grey (7/1) with Apollo One, beaten a neck 12 months ago, back in third.

Winning rider Ryan, completing a double on the card, said: “He jumped really well and we went a good clip and Mr Wagyu and Apollo One took each other on and it just gave me a chance to hang onto a small bit.

“I knew he’d be tough at the end, I knew the last half a furlong I’d have something under my sleeve. He’s tough as old boots, he’s a legend to ride; I’ve ridden him twice and he hasn’t been out of the first two. David (O’Meara, trainer) has lined it up perfectly with him.

“He’s just easy, jumps, travels and you can put him wherever you want and when you need him to go he’s there to quicken and away he goes; he’s every jockey’s dream ride.”

O’Meara added: “There’s the Wokingham which he has got an entry in and he could have an entry in the Buckingham Palace but I guess the big target has to be the Chipchase at Newcastle at the end of June, a Group Three. He’s very good on an artificial surface and there aren’t many opportunities to run on it in the summer and the Chipchase picks itself a little bit.

“We might do something between now and then but because how well he runs the track it would be mental not to try and take it in. If we run before then it will be at Ascot.

“We’ve only had him since January and he’s been a great addition to our yard. He’s full of himself and he’s enjoying his racing. Horses like him are a pleasure to have around the place. All we have to do is keep him in good form and bring him to the races, where he does his thing.”

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