Betfred Derby Tips: Owen’s two for a Classic occasion

It's Betfred Derby time, folks. Britain's richest and most prestigious flat race - one of the five Classic contests sponsored by Betfred - takes place at Epsom on Saturday afternoon (15:30).

I've come up with a couple of Betfred Derby tips for the 2025 renewal, including one at a huge price.

It would be great to see Betfred 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court follow up in the Betfred Derby and keep dreams of being the first Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky in 1970 - and picking up Fred's £2m bonus - alive, but I'm against him on Saturday.

It's shaping up to be a stamina-sapping affair at Epsom. We've got the biggest field (19) since 2003, and the ground is softening by the hour. It's eased to good to soft, good in places as I write this on Friday morning, and there's further rain in the 24-hour forecast.

For me, Charlie Appleby's son of Justify is a proper miler with lots of class. I'm far from convinced he wants this extra four furlongs in potentially testing conditions, so I'm looking elsewhere.

After much deliberation, it's John & Thady Gosden's DAMYSUS who gets my vote.

The 460k guineas purchase for Wathnan Racing debuted at Southwell a few weeks before Christmas, pulling over two lengths clear of his eight rivals over an inadequate seven furlongs. A pleasing start for the son of Frankel.

He wasn't seen for another 136 days, lining up at Sandown for the G3 Classic Trial over 1m2f in April. He was third in Esher, just over a length behind 104 and 105-rated rivals Swagman and Windlord. I think they're both very useful - especially the former.

I was quietly confident about Damysus' chances in the Dante at York a month later and he justified my faith, running a blinder behind the reopposing Pride Of Arras, who was just a length-and-a-quarter ahead at the line.

While Ralph Beckett's winner got a pretty perfect trip on the Downs, the selection didn't. He was lit up early and it took a while for him to settle, by which point he was quite far back in the field.

When they got racing turning for home, he had to chart the widest route possible, on the outside of The Lion In Winter, and pass the majority of the field. He found generously under pressure, despite drifting left in the final furlong or so, to finish clear in second.

I believe he has every chance of reversing that form with a bit more luck in running, over this longer distance. He looks to be crying out for the extra yardage.

The draw could have gone better, with Damysus set to emerge out of stall 15, but he's been subject to rave reviews in the build-up to the big day and he's my main fancy for the 2025 Betfred Derby.

I'm putting a lot of faith in the Dante form - the race has produced 11 Derby winners since its formation in 1958 - as I'm also suggesting TUSCAN HILLS, each-way with Betfred paying 4 places, at a massive price.

The three-year-old Night Of Thunder colt, trained by Raphael Freire for the big-spending Amo Racing, could only manage seventh on the Knavesmire, but like Damysus there's reasons to expect a much-improved performance here.

Firstly, it was just the third run of his career and his first at three, following a 206-day break. He also looked to get outpaced at a crucial time, and/or run out of steam. That would be entirely excusable under the circumstances.

His Listed victory at Pontefract back in October last year, over a mile on soft ground, was classy. The runner-up is rated 96 and he was almost five lengths adrift of the selection, who only had to be pushed out to secure the victory.

At the prices, it's well worth a speculative wager on him emulating his granddam, Eswarah, by winning a Classic at Epsom.

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