THE DERBY | Three Antepost selections to consider for the Epsom Classic

With just over two and a half weeks to go until Epsom Derby weekend, the team have been looking through the potential entries for the 1m4f Classic.

The two-day meeting kicks off on Friday 3^rd June with the Oaks featuring on the card, while the Derby headlines the action the day after.

The team have taken a look through the entries, in hope of pinning down some value early on in the Classic contest.

Here are their ante-post selections for this year’s Epsom Derby.

DESERT CROWN (2/1)

While 2/1 doesn’t scream value for a Classic that normally draws a big field, it seems likely that Desert Crown’s price could well shorten to even less by the weekend of the Derby.

Sir Michael Stoute’s colt is the leading hope for the British team, with the three-year-old launching into favouritism following his Dante performance last week.

The son of Nathaniel travelled beautifully into the race and he drew clear in the final stages to win by three and a quarter lengths.

The three-year-old clearly holds a lot of potential and he shouldn’t have any issues stepping up in trip here, with his price very likely to shorten here.

PIZ BADILE (10/1)

Hailing from Donnacha O’Brien’s yard, Piz Badile could well be one to watch out for in the Derby next month.

The Ulysses colt was headed into second in the Eyrefield Stakes as a two-year-old, but he delivered on his seasonal reappearance at Leopardstown in April.

After taking the lead in the final furlong of the Ballysax Stakes, the three-year-old had to dig deep to get the better of Buckaroo as he rallied back and snatched success by a short head.

Piz Badile clearly holds some potential and with the bonus of dual Derby winner Frankie Dettori in the saddle, he could put up a big performance for his connections here.

ROYAL PATRONAGE (25/1)

Following on from his respectable performance at York, Royal Patronage could feature at Epsom for his connections next month.

The Wootton Bassett colt produced a fairly impressive two-year-old campaign before finishing eighth in the 2000 Guineas and claiming second behind Desert Crown in the Dante Stakes.

While he wasn’t able to get close to the winner on the Knavesmire, he travelled smoothly and kept on for place honours.

He should revert to more prominent tactics here and as proven with Serpentine back in 2020, a front-running attempt could suit in the Derby.

Charlie and Mark Johnston’s recruit will need to find more here to be competitive, but he should be in contention for the places at least.