There is no questioning what the racing highlight of this coming week is. As you may already be aware, the eagerly anticipated Derby Festival at Epsom is now just around the corner. Few venues in the sport offer a greater sense of occasion, and once again, Epsom is poised to welcome tens of thousands of racegoers, all eager to witness racing history unfold.
While Epsom rightly dominates the week’s narrative, there’s additional interest further north with cards at Perth and Musselburgh providing some weekend variety for punters. These Scottish fixtures may be smaller in stature, but they often throw up competitive action and decent betting opportunities.
Fri 6th – Sat 7th: Derby Festival
The first full weekend of June brings with it one of the crown jewels of the British flat racing season – the Epsom Derby Festival. It is an event that combines history, prestige and excitement into two thrilling days of racing.
Day 1: Ladies Day
Friday is officially Ladies Day at Epsom, but it’s far from just fashion and fizz, this is a day of major sporting substance. The headline act is the Oaks, the third Classic of the flat season and one reserved for the very best three-year-old fillies. Contested over the testing 1m 4f trip on Epsom’s switchback course, it’s a stern examination of stamina and class, but one with a big reward with its hefty £550,000 purse.
Aidan O’Brien has won this contest seven times since 2012, and it is no surprise he has a heavy presence among the entries. He is currently responsible for three of the top four among the early betting, but not the market leader, Desert Flower, who hails from Charlie Appleby’s yard. It is little surprise the chestnut filly is the current favourite given she extended her unbeaten record when recently winning the 1,000 Guineas.
Friday at Epsom also sees another major contest – the Coronation Cup. Another high-value contest, the winner of this 1m 4f battle will land their connections over £250,000. Although 21 names remain in the race ahead of the final declarations, we already have an odds-on favourite in the form of Calandagan. Narrowly beaten in the Champion Stakes and International Stakes last year, can he get his first Group 1 win this time?
Day 2: Derby Day
Saturday belongs to the Derby and what a race it is too. Boasting an outrageous prize pot of £1.125m and a reputation to match, this Group 1 Classic can define the careers of both horses and trainers. The testing nature of Epsom’s course and the high-pressure atmosphere ensure only the very best prevail.
At this stage, Delacroix leads the market following a pair of strong winning performances at Leopardstown but he faces stiff competition from the likes of stablemate The Lion in Winter and others such as Pride of Arras and Ruling Court. Although most of the focus will be on the market leaders, this race has often surprised us in the past, most notably Wings of Eagles (40/1) in 2017 and Serpentine (25/1) in 2020.
Also worth watching on the Saturday undercard is the Epsom Dash, a blisteringly quick five-furlong sprint down the hill which takes place right before the Derby. With a typical winning time of around 55 seconds, it is one the fastest races on the calendar and often sees the field spread across the track in a blur of colour and speed.
Saturday 7th June – Musselburgh’s Cup Celebration
The Derby will dominate racing headlines on Saturday, but there is other significant racing occurring north of the border at Musselburgh. The two feature races of the day are the Edinburgh Cup and the Queen of Scots Stakes. Both worth £50,000, they are some of the most lucrative races at the course, and the latter carries Listed status.
2022 Hilts
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2025 ❓Saturday 7th June
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It is worth keeping your eye on the whole meeting if you can, as some of the leading performers could well feature at Royal Ascot later in the month. Pilgrim won the sprint handicap during this meeting last year before going on to secure victory in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes.
Sun 8th: Perth Tops Off Big Weekend In Scotland
Continuing to move north, we finish the weekend’s round-up at Perth, who host their widely celebrated bet365 Gold Cup Day. The main race of the day, unsurprisingly, is the Perth Gold Cup, which celebrates its 200th birthday. First run in 1825, it is a historic contest and one that tends to attract a vibrant crowd to Britain’s northernmost racecourse. Unlike most of the main horse racing action in the summer, this is a steeplechase and one that sees runners take on 18 fences over a distance just under three miles long.
