Epsom Derby Picks

Epsom Downs is the home of two classics, with the Oaks and the Derby being run on consecutive days in June. Epsom stages around 11 race days a season including a few Thursday evenings during the summer.

Highlights: The two-day Derby meeting in early June also features the Coronation Cup, a Group 1 race for older middle-distance horses. In total Epsom has 5 Group races and 2 Listed races. 

Type of Racing: Flat racing only

* All statistics below are based on the previous five years at Epsom

Epsom Outright Favorite Statistics

• Flat Handicaps: 52-192 (27%) -26.76
• Flat Non-Handicaps: 13-35 (37%) -8.70

Left-handed, twelve furlongs undulating with a downhill turn into the home straight which has a left camber towards the far rail.

Epsom Racetrack Address: Epsom Downs, Epsom KT18 5LQ

Epsom Racetrack Telephone: 01372 726311

The undulating one-mile and four-furlong distance some think is not an ideal surface for the thoroughbred, and we can think of a number of tracks that would be more suited to holding the Classics. Ultimately though Epsom does provide a true test for a middle-distance thoroughbred requiring all the attributes, balance, speed, and stamina.

Results can be a little unpredictable especially with horses visiting Epsom for the first time, encountering the sharp bends, the switchback track turns left and right, undulations, uphill and downhill, and in the final furlong cambers to the inside rail.

To get victories over distances greater than a mile at Epsom you need a balanced horse who can handle the undulations and quirks of Epsom, it can be a stop-start. Speedy types can go off too quickly and then fade. Around the turns you need to hold your position and not run too wide, then into the home straight you can challenge wider.

The top Irish jockeys who come to England for the Group races seem to study the track knowing it has quirks and they reap the benefits. Of the English-based jockeys, Frankie Dettori seems to have the skill to control his mount and wait for the right moment at Epsom. Silvestre De Sousa is an excellent judge of pace from the front and enjoys particular success in getting the fractions right at Epsom and Charlie Bishop also rides the track well.

The five-furlong track is the fastest sprint track in the UK as the track unlike most other tracks is downhill all the way, if you take a look at past five-furlong races especially the Epsom Dash at the Derby meeting you can see how quickly they go time-wise, sprinters who run well in this race are worth following as the season progresses.

Check Epsom picks from OLBG members who will have tipped and commented on the races, also remember to head over to the racing predictions page for picks on racing from other racetracks today.

Backing stall 4 at Epsom over a trip of 7f is the most profitable stall and trip combination at Epsom returning an LSP of +30.28 over the last five years. For the least profitable stall at Epsom, you need to look at races over 7f and focus on stall 5 as this has produced an LSP of -47.75 over the last five years.

Here we have the draw bias for Epsom taken into consideration races with ten or more runners, we will break down the figures by race distance, draws can be much more important over the shorter trips in which runners do not have time to find their position during the race meaning the draw is probably more important than the races over longer distances.

• Sprints (5f to 7½f)
• Middle Distance (1m2f to 1m5½f)

The following table shows a breakdown over a group of trips and shows how each position of the draw does, for example in a twelve-runner race would be Low (Stalls 1-4), Mid (Stalls 5-8) and High (Stalls 9-12), the positions will always be lowest stall number to highest.

Who are the best flat jockeys and trainers to bet on at Epsom?

Following G L Moore would have returned a profit here at Epsom with an LSP of +21.13 and their ten winners have them at the head of the profitable trainers' list. J R Boyle does lead the trainers' list overall with eighteen winners but shows an overall loss. If you are more of an eachway player then you may want to know which trainer is best to follow at Epsom and that would be George Boughey who shows the best eachway LSP which is +21.32 thanks to their eleven placings (seven winners). P M Phelan does not have a great record at Epsom, their LSP of -41.00 has them stone dead bottom of the trainers' list, which has come from zero winners from forty-one runners which is a 0% strike rate.

William Buick has produced a total of seventeen winners at Epsom racecourse and with an LSP of +13.00, they top the winner's list for jockeys who also show a profit. If you are looking for a jockey to follow in the eachway market then it is William Carson who leads the way at Epsom, they have had a total of ten placings which includes four winners over the previous five for an eachway LSP of +38.31. The jockey with the worst record at Epsom based on LSP is Pat Cosgrave who has only an 11% strike rate with six winners from fifty-seven rides which have returned an LSP of -35.54.

Epsom Picks & Hints

Here are some factors at Epsom for certain trainers or jockeys which have been profitable:

• 6-13 (46%) +14.00 - Backing B D L Sayette rides when on horses aged 3yo
• 5-9 (56%) +12.68 - Backing William Buick rides when on horses aged 2yo

Epsom Top Jockey and Trainer Combinations

Here are the best trainer and jockey combinations here at Epsom based on the number of winners:

• 7 Wins: Charlie Appleby & William Buick
• 6 Wins: J H M Gosden & L Dettori
• 5 Wins: J R Boyle & Charlie Bennett

Epsom Top Trainers By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit

Epsom Top Jockeys By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit