The second of the Epsom Betting Tournaments was on Derby Day, with over 2700 entrants, almost 200 more than Oaks Day tournament the previous day.
Race one on the card at Epsom was the Cazoo Handicap with 14 runners sent to post. William Buick was left in the starting stalls after a bizarre incident where he was struck by a rearing horse in the neighbouring stall. Buick’s mount Blue Trail went on galloping riderless and caused havoc in the during race.
The loose horse had a big say in the finish of the contest, perhaps denying Tom Marquand and Grennoble their chance of winning. Due to a stewards enquiry surrounding the incident, there was a late settlement of bets afterwards.
Before the race, Rory Delargy made his intentions clear, being a lover of the eventual winner Swilcan Bridge. Named after the iconic landmark on the 18th hole at St Andrew’s Golf Club, the three-year-old gamely stuck his head out on the line under jockey Hayley Turner, handing Delargy a big win.
Mentioned yesterday, but of interest again for punters. Swilcan Bridge (2:00 @EpsomRacecourse) represents the Mick Mariscotti/Andrew Balding combo which has won race twice in recent years. No fluke, as Epsom-born Mariscotti likes his horses prepped specifically for the meeting.
— Rory Delargy (@helynsar) June 4, 2022
Andrew Mount did follow Delargy in with the Andrew Balding trained winner, but he was only 11th after race one, with Delargy up to fifth.
James F landed a sizable punt on the winner to lead over Gary K, with Donal O sat third after hitting a nice Trifecta at Listowel.
Race Two saw retribution for Marquand after his hard luck story in the first race, with him scoring aboard favourite Bashkirova.
Gary K and Donal O both stayed at the top after the Cheveley Park duo were one and two in the second Epsom race.
Amelia A played a cameo in yesterday’s tournament top ten before tailing off but she was back for more. She landed an Exacta in the 14:31 at Doncaster, the Ben Curtis ridden Gift of Raaj beating Red Derek to pay a dividend of £12.76 with Tote+.
Delargy and Mount both looked threatening after race two, hanging around in fifth and sixth places, whilst the Tote’s own Jamie Hart was still 10th.
The smallest field of the day was in race three, where Megallan bounced back to form after a poor run at Chester to win for Frankie Dettori and the Gosdens.
Edward S shot up the leaderboard into sixth place after putting his faith in the winner, making a three-figure score.
Race four was the hectic Dash, with four double figure priced runners all hitting the frame. Andrew Mount came incredibly close to landing a Trifecta, just failing to select the winner Tees Spirit in his perm and jokingly asked for the winner to be disqualified.
I had 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the @ToteRacing trifecta - throw the winner out!
— Andrew Mount (@TrendHorses) June 4, 2022
Elsewhere, Steven E climbed up to third after landing a punt on Anicent Times at Musselburgh, the Harry Eustace trained winner yielded a £7.92 Tote+ return. Nick M scored a Trifecta in the previous Epsom race and boosted his profit when he backed 4-1 shot Migdam to victory at Doncaster.
It was soon time for race five, the Epsom Derby. All day antepost favourite Desert Crown had steadily drifted in the market, with many punters deciding to take on Sir Michael Stoute’s colt.
Returning an empathic winner of the classic, he was £3.52 with Tote+, which would’ve been incomprehensible weeks ago when he was close to being odds on.
Supporters Mark N, John H and Alex F were all duly rewarded for keeping the faith in the winner, Mark N took the lead with John H in second and Alex F up to fourth. Extraordinary props are in order for Dominic M, he managed to land the outrageous Exacta in the Derby, predicting 150-1 shot Hoo Ya Mal to chase home Desert Crown.
Also backing Desert Crown was Jamie Benson. Benson opted not to NAP the Derby winner beforehand, claiming he would’ve given him the burden of “an extra 7lbs.” Benson did have a nice touch on the Derby victor but still was behind.
Mark N held the lead after 3-1F Midnights Legacy gamely held on to score for William Buick and Alan King in race six.
Nick M jumped into second, closing the gap to the leader, after hitting a big Trifecta in the 16:51 at Doncaster. The Sir Michael Stoute trained Red Rambler with the upset to pay £113.30 with Tote+.
The final race of the day saw Andrew Mount’s name up in lights.
⭐️ SATURDAY NAP ⭐️
👀 @TrendHorses is behind a veteran sprinter for his best bet on Epsom's @WorldPool card#WorldPool | 𝐁𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 🌍
— Tote (@ToteRacing) June 4, 2022
Mount had napped the veteran sprinter Mr Wagyu and was rewarded with a cool £14.02 return after the seven-year-old obliged on the line.
Harry Findlay was quiet all afternoon but his punting class came to the fore when he landed a series of Trebles, all involving Derby winner Desert Crown.
Finally, Benson's afternoon ended in disappointment. Despite backing the feature race winner, he once again failed to make a profit, and let qualifying players - Beat Benson.
