Good afternoon from Epsom on the first Saturday in June, which can only mean that tens of thousands of racing fans are converging on the Surrey downs for the 245th running of the Derby, the world’s most famous Classic.
Precisely how many tens of thousands is hard to say, not least because the Hill enclosure – which the track describes as the “beating heart of the Derby Festival” remains arguably the best free sporting day out anywhere on the planet. But the paid attendance took a significant hit last year, from 37,274 to 25,413, something that seems to have been slightly lost amid the focus on attempts by animal rights protestors to disrupt the big race.
Jockey Club Racecourses, which is also facing serious struggles to maintain the attendance figures at Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring, will not want to see the numbers at its other big event heading in the same direction.
There is at least no rain forecast at Epsom today, which may well encourage some walk-ups, and the big race – due off at 4.30pm – has several interesting plotlines, including a juvenile champion with something to prove in City Of Troy and a live runner for 91-year-old owner Bill Gredley in Ambiente Friendly.
City Of Troy, who ran a shocker at odds-on in the 2,000 Guineas last time, seemed to be facing a serious challenge at the top of the market yesterday evening but has put some distance between himself and the rest in the betting this morning at around 3-1.
That reflects a lack of market confidence behind his stable companion at Aidan O’Brien’s yard, Los Angeles, who is out to 13-2, and also a drift on Ancient Wisdom, the six-length runner-up behind Economics in the Dante Stakes, out to 6-1. Ambiente Friendly, the Lingfield trial winner, is 15-2, while Macduff, second in the Sandown Classic Trial in April, is heading the other way, at around 9-1 from 12-1 overnight.
The going at Epsom is good-to-soft, good in places after a dry night, and will continue to dry as the day goes on if the forecast is correct. My thoughts about the likely winner are here, and if you have not just decided to drop everything and head to Epsom, you can, as always, follow all the news and developments ahead of the big race right here on the blog.