Horse racing in June 2024: City Of Troy faces date with destiny in the Epsom Derby

June promises to be a stellar month for horse racing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, with several major meetings on the agenda over the next few weeks.

The Epsom Derby takes centre stage on the first Saturday and is a race which revolves around a horse who was touted as the sport’s ‘next big thing’ for much of the winter.

However, the previously unbeaten City Of Troy’s superstar status was blown out of the water as he ran poorly to finish well-beaten in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May.

Despite that run, trainer Aidan O’Brien has continued to wax lyrical about the Justify colt and he has been well-backed to return to winning ways this weekend.

O’Brien took the blame for the defeat in the aftermath of the race and it would be no surprise to see City Of Troy bounce back to form in the Derby.

Stablemate Los Angeles could be one of the biggest dangers in the race after winning the Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown in May.

Charlie Appleby’s Ancient Wisdom could also be in contention, with the softer ground conditions at Epsom likely to play to his strengths.

The Godolphin-owned three-year-old showed a liking for cut in the ground when winning the Group Three Autumn Stakes at Newmarket last season.

He then stepped up to Group One company in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, where he ran out an impressive winner on heavy ground.

Ancient Wisdom kicked off this season by finishing second behind Economics in the Dante Stakes at York on good ground and he should improve for that outing.

Attention switches to New York the following weekend when the prestigious Belmont Stakes is staged at Saratoga Race Course.

The race is the third leg of the Triple Crown in North America, although no horse will achieve that particular feat this year.

Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan failed to follow up his success at Churchill Downs as he was comprehensively swept aside by Seize The Grey in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

That pair could be in the line-up for the Belmont Stakes, but may find it difficult to fend off Sierra Leone over the ten-furlong trip.

The Chad Brown trained horse won the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds earlier this season, before romping home in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

The $2.3 million colt was not given the best of rides by jockey Tyler Gaffalione on his way to being beaten a nose by Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby.

Gaffalione has been replaced in the saddle by Flavien Prat and that decision should pay dividends with a victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Royal Ascot takes centre stage later in the month, with the Berkshire track scheduled to host the meeting from June 18-22.

The five-day event is famed for its heady mix of top-class racing action, pageantry and glamourous fashion, making it one of the highlights of the summer in the United Kingdom.

Overall prize money will be a whopping £17.5 million, a 3.9 percent increase on 2023. Each of the Group 1 races will be worth a minimum of £650,000.

The St James’s Palace Stakes is the standout race on the opening day, while the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the headline act on Day Two.

The Gold Cup, Coronation Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes are the top races on the final three days of a meeting which always generates massive interest in the betting industry.