Sir Michael Stoute’s Ask emerged as the surprise winner of the 2009 Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday, defeating heavily backed antepost favourite Youmzain to claim the first group one race of the 2009 Derby Festival.

The result provided the 6 year old with the first group one win of his career, and was achieved by the tightest of margins as he finished the race a nose ahead of Youmzain. 2008 Epsom Oaks winner, Look Here, finished the Coronation Cup in third place.

“Things just went wrong last year and we never got the rub of the green,” Stoute told Sky Sports after the race. “This wouldn’t be his ideal track but we thought we had to take our chance.”

“We were prepared to just go and sit in front and from my angle passing the post I thought he’d won but we’ve been caught a few times recently so thank goodness it went our way this time. Where he runs next will be ground dependant as he doesn’t want the ground too quick.”

Following the race Mick Channon suggested that he’d be sending Youmzain to the King George Stakes at the Goodwood Festival in an attempt to secure a first group win for his horse on British soil.

John Oxx’s Sea The Stars became the first racehorse of the 21st century to complete the 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby double on Saturday, beating Fame and Glory to claim the richest purse in English flat racing.

Aidan O’Brien’s hopes of becoming the first trainer to see his entries close out the top five places at the Derby came to nothing, as only Fame and Glory placed in the race, followed home by Masterofthehorse. O’Brien’s Rip van Winkle finished the race in fourth place.

The victory gave Oxx his second Epsom Derby triumph, following on Sinndar’s victory in 2000. Following the race Oxx suggested that he would most likely not enter Sea the Stars into the St Leger in the pursuit of the English Triple Crown.

Jockey Mick Kinane used all of his experience to steer Sea The Stars to victory, claiming his third Epsom Derby title. Following the race Kinane paid tribute to his mount.

“I was going so easy all the way, it was as if we were going in slow motion,” Kinane told the BBC. “That’s the key to him - he has serious tools, over any trip. When this lad came along last May I thought I’d better hang around a bit longer!”

Epsom Oaks antepost favourite, Sariska, rewarded her backers with a nail-biting victory on Friday, defeating Henry Cecil’s Midday by a nose. High Heeled finished in third, leaving antepost joint-favourite Rainbow View to settle for fourth place.

Sariska looked to be well in control in the final furlongs of the Epsom Oaks, leading a breakaway trio that included Midday and High Heeled.
The filly then appeared to slow going into the final furlong, allowing Midday into the race, and a stewards enquiry was ultimately required to decide the winner of the race.

“She’s always shown us huge potential at home and ever since the day she started working I thought she was a star,” Bell told the BBC after the race. “She fulfilled all my expectations and we’re so thrilled to have her. It is a huge thrill to win this race and I’m very lucky to have been given the chance to train her.”

The win handed Michael Bell his first Oaks title, and the second Classic win of his career. The trainer had previously won the Epsom Derby with Motivator.

The 2009 Epsom Derby has produced three strong antepost favourites over recent weeks.

Sea the Stars has headed the betting since winning the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. While he’s a form horse, and should not be ignored in the Epsom Derby betting markets, it’s important to realise that the last thoroughbred to successfully navigate the 4 furlong step up from the Guineas to the Derby did so two decades ago.

With history suggesting Sea The Stars is more likely to place than to win, Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes winner Fame and Glory looks a very strong bet. Aidan O’Brien’s entry is unbeaten and is a proven stayer with three wins over 1 mile 2 furlongs to his credit.

Rip Van Winkle has powered up the Epsom Derby betting markets since being selected by O’Brien’s first-choice jockey Johnny Murtagh. This backing seems a bit irrational given the fact that he’s untested over distance greater than a mile and has finished outside the top three in both of his races this season.

Dante Stakes winner Black Bear Island looks to be a high-value bet at an average SP of 8-1. Not only is O’Brien’s colt coming into the Derby on the back of a group two win, but he is also proven over distances greater than a mile. If there’s to be a surprise winner in the Derby, Black Bear Island is our candidate.

Our 2009 Epsom Derby tips are therefore: Fame and Glory to win it, followed home by Black Bear Island and Sea the Stars.

The 2009 Epsom Derby is set to be run in perfect conditions, with good to firm ground expected for the weekend’s Derby Festival.

Watering at Epsom Racecourse has stopped, and with no more heavy rain expected at Epson Downs until after the weekend, course staff are confident that a perfect turf will be delivered for two of the greatest thoroughbred races in the world.

“The going is very much good in the main and just on the quick side in a few places, between the 10-furlong and the mile starts and little bits elsewhere,” Epsom director of racing Andrew Cooper told the Press Association.

“There is no watering planned. The weather outlook is dry until possible showers overnight Friday into Saturday - we could get no rain or up to a maximum of five millimetres.”

The rails at Epsom Racecourse have been moved out 6 yards for Friday’s races at Epsom, and will be moved back on Saturday morning to ensure that the Epsom Derby is run on fresh ground.

Trainer Brian Meehan has opted to supplement Crowded House for the £1.25 million Epsom Derby on Saturday.

Last year Crowded House emerged as the early antepost favourite for the 2009 Epsom Derby following an impressive victory in the Racing Post Trophy. His odds then drifted during a sustained period of indifferent form, and he is currently trading at over 20/1 at most bookmakers.

Meehan, however, believes that his horse can do better than the 8th place he achieved in his last outing – the Dante Stakes. Providing Epsom does not soften further ahead of the weekend, Meehan says that Crowded House could surprise his critics.

“After the Dante we monitored him closely. He worked on Monday and we were pleased with him,” Meehan told the BBC. “More importantly, he seems to have taken it very well. He will breeze again tomorrow, but the plan is now to let him take his chance at Epsom.”

Meehan has also entered Crowded House into the French equivalent of the Derby, the Prix Du Jockey Club.

“The only issue may be if there is heavy rain on Friday,” Meehan said.
“For that reason we will hold the entry in Sunday’s Prix Du Jockey Club as an alternative.”

Venue: Epsom Downs Racecourse
Time: 16:00BST
Date: 06/06

The biggest purse in English flat racing is up for grabs at this weekend’s Epsom Derby, as England’s most talented 3 year old thoroughbreds take the step up to the 1.4 mile trip over Epsom Downs.

A tussle has emerged at the top of the Epsom Derby Betting markets between Derrinstown Derby Trial Stakes winner, Fame and Glory and 2,000 Guineas winner Sea the Stars, with both strongly backed to win the race.

However, Johnny Murtagh’s selection of Rip van Winkle as his mount suggests that Aidan O’Brien’s entry may be the one to watch at Epsom on Saturday, and his price has shortened significantly since Murtagh announced that Rip would be his choice for the race.

Punters who learned their lesson from the surprise win of New Approach last season will not be putting all their eggs in one basket, and there could be excellent value to be had in the longer priced entries in the 2009 Epsom Derby field.

Leading contenders for an upset include Jim Bolger’s Irish raider Gan Amhras and the unpredictable Crowded House, both of whom are priced high enough to provide good value on each-way punts.

If actions speak louder than words, then Rip Van Winkle is Aidan O’Brien’s strongest entry in the 2009 Epsom Derby.

This information can be inferred from Johnny Murtagh’s decision to ride Rip rather than saddle antepost favourite, and Derrinstown Derby Trial Stakes winner, Fame and Glory in the 2009 Epsom Derby.

As O’Brien’s first choice stable jockey Murtagh had the pick of any of the 6 Ballydoyle entries in the 2009 Epsom Derby, and decided to hand Fame and Fortune’s reins to Seamus Heffernan – who won the Irish Derby on Frozen Fire in 2008.

“Johnny Murtagh’s chosen mount was always going to be of great interest to punters, and his presence on board Rip Van Winkle would ensure that horse was popular on race day, but maybe not enough to head the betting,” said a bookmaker’s spokesperson.

All jockeys at the 2009 Epsom Derby will wear black armbands on Saturday to acknowledge the passing of legendary trainer Vincent O’Brien earlier this week. Rated the greatest trainer in history, O’Brien achieved considerable success in both flat and national hunt racing during his career.

13 thoroughbreds stood their ground at the 5 day confirmation stage for the 2009 Epsom Derby on Monday.

Aidan O’Brien pruned his contingent for Saturday’s race at Epsom, leaving 6 racehorses in the field, including popular antepost bets Bear Island, Fame and Glory and Rip van Winkle.

The total number of Irish racehorses set to compete in the race stands at 8, and includes 2,000 Guineas winner Sea the Stars. Also hailing from the Emerald Isle is Gan Amhras, the only entry fielded by last year’s Derby winning trainer, Jim Bolger.

Brian Meehan will give the home team a boost after confirming Crowded House, the Dante Stakes second place finisher behind Bear Island, for the 2009 Epsom Derby.

“Crowded House has been confirmed for the Derby this morning, but he will also be confirmed tomorrow for the French Derby,” Meehan said on his website on Monday.

“He worked very well this morning, but we want to continue to monitor him for the next couple of days, consider both races and then decide what to do.

“The issue we have is that he missed a week after the Dante. We want to take as much time as possible to make sure we do what is best for the horse. We shall keep everybody informed as to the situation during the course of the week.”

With 14 out of the 20 entries in the forthcoming Epsom Derby hailing from Ireland, the Irish appear destined to add another Derby title to the 5 they won in the past decade.

More than half of the Irish entries in the race hail from the Ballydoyle stables of Aidan O’Brien, who will field nine entries in the race, including two Derby trial winners. The trainer is, however, expected to narrow his entries down to six over the next week.

“Everything we have left in are possibles. They all came through their trials well and deserve to have their chance,” O’Brien told the BBC. “If the ground is safe, we’d love to have plenty of runners. Obviously the Derby is a very important race and we are very lucky to have such a nice few horses this year.”

John Oxx’s race favourite, Sea the Stars, also hails from Ireland. John Gosden’s Gan Amhras, a favourite to pick up the pieces of O’Brien and Oxx fail to score, is yet another of the Irish contenders in the race.

William Haggas is arguably the strongest of the British trainers in the race, and will field Dee Stakes winner, South Easter, in the Epsom Derby on the 6th of June.