2024 The Derby Betting Odds at Epsom Downs racecourse

2023 Epsom Derby Tips

We’re looking forward to the Epsom Derby on Saturday 3 June, with the betting market suggesting an open encounter and there could be a big field lining up for this encounter. Military Order is set to go off as the market leader and the Godolphin runner has been foot perfect in the past few showings which bodes well for this race.

Most recently, the horse was able to claim a victory on the all-weather at Lingfield Park, with the Charlie Appleby-trained runner winning a Derby Trial over one mile and four furlongs, with the horse claiming a narrow win. Previously to this, there was a victory in the Darley Novice Stakes and William Buick will be on board once again.

Auguste Rodin runs for Aidan O’Brien and the horse was well down the pecking order when running in the 2000 Guineas in early May. Sent off as the 13/8 favourite, the runner was underwhelming and the trainer claimed interference was at play, with previous wins at Doncaster and Leopardstown suggesting that the horse could bounce back.

Arrest is a Juddmonte-owned runner who looked really strong when winning the Chester Vase Stakes at the Roodee, with the 10/11 favourite claiming a win over six lengths in a small field. The horse also performed well in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud when finishing second although Dubai Mile won the race and this horse lines up in the Derby too.

Epsom Derby Betting Tips

Luxembourg looked impressive as a two-year-old, winning last July at Killarney on his first outing before winning a Group 2 race at The Curragh in September. Ryan Moore was on board when winning the Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes a few weeks later and that race had Group 1 status, so there is plenty to recommend this colt.

This season, the horse recently ran a strong race in the 2000 Guineas to finish third behind Coroebus and Native Trail. While these two horses were then sent in the direction of the Irish 2000 Guineas, it is the belief of connections that Luxembourg will benefit from a longer trip.

Aidan O’Brien will hope that his runner will get off to a better start at Epsom than he did at Newmarket, with the horse dwelling at the start of the race. Under the circumstances, it was a bright showing from a quirky animal and we should expect more in the Derby.

Who Can Beat Luxembourg in the Derby?

It’s far from certain that Luxembourg will win this race and there are lots of other viable contenders. This includes Changingoftheguard who also runs for O’Brien and there have already been victories at Dundalk and Chester this season, with the three-year-old now bidding for a hat-trick.

The win in the Boodles Chester Vase Stakes on 4 May was something of a surprise considering that New London was sent off as the odds-on favourite, although the Charlie Appleby-trained runner was well beaten into second place by a horse that had previously won a Maiden race by a similarly convincing margin.

If the senior O’Brien doesn’t win as a trainer, perhaps it will be Donnacha instead, with the younger handler having Piz Badile as a lively Derby contender. After finishing second in the Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown back in October, the horse posted an impressive time when winning the Group 3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

2021 Epsom Derby Betting Tips

The 2021 Epsom Derby is the biggest race in the UK flat racing calendar, with this being a famous encounter which is highly historic and this could be an opportunity for Aidan O’Brien to land a ninth Derby victory, with the Irish trainer having dominated the landscape in recent years and he’s actually bidding for a third consecutive victory in the race.

O’Brien was first victorious in the Derby in 2001 with Galileo and triumphed a year later when High Chaparral landed the spoils although he had to wait until a decade until enjoying another Derby win with Camelot and it has been a succession of winners since then.

Can High Definition Provide O’Brien With Another Win?

High Definition is bidding to follow in the recent footsteps of Anthony Van Dyck and Serpentine, with the three-year-old heading the Derby betting market and the son of Galileo surely has to stand a strong chance after impressing on both outings to date this season.

There was a 7/1 success in a Maiden Race on 22 August 2020 and there was then a Group 2 success a month later over a distance of one mile, although this is a longer distance when it comes to the 2021 Epsom Derby and his odds could actually be backed each-way instead.

Bolshoi Ballet and Van Gogh Also Bidding to Win for O’Brien

Bolshoi Ballet is trading at a fractionally bigger price than stablemate High Definition and the three-year-old didn’t exactly light up the stage as a two-year-old although there was plenty to like about a victory as 2/1 favourite in a Group 3 race at Leopardstown on 11 April.

Van Gogh is trading at around the 10/1 mark and this O’Brien runner is more of an unknown quantity, with the horse having finished well down the order when running in the 2,000 Guineas although perhaps he will benefit from having further in terms of distance.

The main danger to O’Brien not winning the Epsom Derby comes in the form of Mohaafeth and it has been three consecutive wins for the William Haggas-trained charge, with the 2/1 shot winning the Betfair Newmarket Stakes, with this being run over one mile and two furlongs.

2020 Epsom Derby Predictions and Tips

At the time of writing, any of the horses entered for the Epsom Derby can be backed at odds of 12/1 or bigger, although we might expect the favourite to go off at a much shorter price and that horse could be MOGUL. The jockey silks are in the famous colours of Tabor, Smith and Magnier, with the runner having produced some fine performance at The Curragh and Leopardstown last season.

However, Andrew Balding might have a lively operator in the form of KAMEKO, with the American-bred horse looking every inch the Derby contender when winning two races last season and finishing runner-up in the other two in which he participated. Kameko beat Mogul in an all-weather clash at Newcastle in early November and that’s worth bearing in mind.

INNISFREE was second in exactly the same race and that’s another O’Brien horse and this one is a descendant of Galileo, while ARMORY is another even more exciting runner for this trainer and the horse ran five times as a two-year-old and competed hard each time.

The most eye-catching piece of form from Armory was second place behind 2000 Guineas winner Pinatubo in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes on 15 September, although the horse also ran well at the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Sponsorise Par Manateq.

Watch out for WALDKONIG who is a relatively unknown quantity in the stable of John Gosden. This horse made his one and only run in early December when winning a Novices Stakes at odds of 6/4, although that could pave the way for greatness.

Epsom Derby Betting Odds

For fans of ante post betting, you can get stuck into some early prices and hope that you get a run for your money at the very least. However, you really are having to go off the 2019 performances and a lot can change between a horse running well as a two-year-old and lining up in the three-year-old division.

However, the fact that Aidan O’Brien has such a strong track record in the Derby suggests we should keep a sharp eye out for his runners in the Epsom classic. Mogul heads the betting, although we think Armory could be a tastier runner when the season starts in earnest, while Lope Y Fernandez and Innisfree run in the same colours for the same trainer.

O’Brien also has a clutch of horses trading at odds of 33/1 and that includes Iberia, Monarch of Egypt and Toronto who are all lightly raced and could go well providing that they demonstrate more class in their first outing of the season.

How to Bet on the Epsom Derby

Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler of the World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings of Eagles (2017) and Anthony Van Dyck (2019) are the seven horses who have won the Epsom Derby for trainer Aidan O’Brien and it would be a major surprise if the Coolmore handler didn’t record any further champions in this Classic race.

However, it should be noted that O’Brien has only won two of the past five Oaks renewals, with trainers such as Charlie Appleby, Dermot Weld and John Gosden landing the spoils and it’s not worth blindly backing any trainer.

As the distance of one mile and four furlongs suggest, you really need a horse to have the stamina in order to get the trip and it always pays to check what the ground conditions before going ahead and placing your bet.

As a two-year-old, Broome was only able to win one of his five races, although the horse has blossomed during the latest Flat season and has now leapt to the head of a very competitive Derby betting market.

Aidan O’Brien described his horse as “lazy” when winning a recent Derby trial at Leopardstown, although the punters have latched on to his charge and Broome is now trading as short as 7/2 to win the Epsom classic.

On his seasonal reappearance in April, Ryan Moore steered Broome to a victory at Leopardstown, with the horse obliging at odds of 5/2 on soft ground before returning to the same track in Ireland.

Broome won the Derby Trial Stakes on 12 May, with the horse sent off as 2/5 favourite and betting customers are starting to think this can be the kind of runner that will win at Epsom.

Some racing fans think the horse might be better suited to the St Leger in September rather than the Derby, although O’Brien is really enthused by his charge and thinks he could scoop the spoils at Epsom.

“Funny, I think he looks more lazy than stays,” said O’Brien after his latest appearance.

“He’s out of a very fast mare, so his pedigree’s very quick. He has a lot more speed than you think. Just because he looks a little bit laboured, he’s more lazy than anything. So I wouldn’t be sure how far he’d get. You’d be really hoping, looking at him, that he’d get a mile and a half but after that you wouldn’t be sure.”

The Derby betting market looks to be a wide open one, with Anthony Van Dyck also trading at a similar price and there’s also Sir Dragonet who looks set to be supplemented for the race.

Anthony Van Dyck won over one mile and three furlongs at Lingfield, with Ryan Moore on board and sure to get his pick of the O’Brien runners in the Derby, with the Irish trainer once again having a stranglehold on this particular race.

It doesn’t appear that Sir Dragonet is certain to head to Epsom and there’s the possibility that his next race might take place in France instead.

The Qipco Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on June 2 has emerged as a possible alternative target for the talented horse who recently won the Chester Vase to stand out from the rest of the Derby triallists.

Speaking at Naas, O'Brien said: "Sir Dragonet is not entered for either race and will have to be supplemented whichever race we decide to go for. He's training away and a decision as to which Derby he'll be supplemented to will be left as late as possible. The horse is well and we'll keep talking things over before making a call."

Sir Dragonet 6/1 for Derby after Chester Vase victory

The Epsom Derby is probably the most prestigious of the classic races during the Flat season and we could see a fantastic renewal of the one mile, four furlongs encounter which is scheduled to take place on Saturday 1 June.

Too Darn Hot was trading as the short price favourite until Chester’s race meeting on Wednesday 8 May, with the betting market now being shaken up after a sublime performance from Sir Dragonet who tore the field apart in the Chester Vase.

Aidan O’Brien is no stranger to producing brilliant colts and this three year-old could be the best of the lot, with the horse following up his racecourse debut 13 days ago with a performance that suggests there is plenty more to come should he run at Epsom.

Sir Dragonet was detached from the field after just a couple of furlongs of this Group Three event, with the other horses in the race setting a fierce pace although jockey Donnacha O’Brien wasn’t in a hurry to push his horse forward and kept powder dry until the latter stages of the race.

With half a mile to go, the son of Camelot was able to make his move, pulling clear of the fast-finishing King Ottakar and obliging for punters who backed him at odds of 13/2, with the horse now trading at a similar price to win the Derby.

While many will fancy Sir Dragonet for the Derby, it needs to be admitted that the horse will need a hefty supplement in order to take his place in the field on 1 June and connections will swiftly make a decision regarding this.

Paul Smith, son of part-owner Derrick Smith, said: "That was a lovely surprise. He was a big baby at home and that is why he was not entered in the Derby. I suppose the lads will look at it now and make a decision a week or two beforehand.

"He has a beautiful Galileo pedigree by Camelot. It is all there, but he was a baby at home and he obviously comes alive on the track. We needed to educate him as he just had the one run before and Aidan thought this was a good place to come.

"Donnacha loved him. He said he gave him a lovely feel and was very straightforward and when he asked him, he quickened well. He was on top of them very early, but he was pleasantly surprised.

"I remember Treasure Beach when he won here and he was about 33-1 for the Derby and he just got chinned on the line. It is real good ground here and he would have learned a lot there. It was only his second run and he took it all in his stride.

"The pedigree is strong and it wouldn't be a hindrance at all, lovely good ground. He got through that well and I'm sure he would love good ground.”