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Underwhelming handicaps and another dull Coronation Cup where is the excitement to today’s Derby? The crowd seems as half asleep as I am. Why can’t they have the Oaks and Derby on the same day?
You got your jumps hat on Phil?
Last week everyone was saying too much on a Saturday and now move Fridays Oaks to the Saturday, no thanks.
I thought the Coronation Cup was a fascinating race but I would say that as it’s given young Hannon a few hundred thousand towards the trainers title…
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I used to think Oaks should be on the Derby card. But now beieve any Classic should have its own day. Do wish Friday’s undercard was better. They’ve improved the Derby’s undercard over the last few years. “Dash” is a great idea, being the fastest 5f anywhere, although I personally would love the Temple Stakes rerouted to Epsom. Sprinters can I believe run more often (close together). Problem is with other distances in mind, Royal Ascot dominates June so much; difficult to attract top class horses (bar the Classics). Any 12f older horse with enough pace for 10f is going to go for the more prestigeous Prince Of Wales… Corry Cup used to be more competitive (more good horses) when the POW was only Group 2… And although still only Group 2 the Hardwicke is increasing in prestige; can attract a Group 1 field too. Why is Telescope going there? So it is difficult to attract a good quality card.
Value Is Everythingwhy is it so many trainers give the coronation cup a miss. There is great prizemoney(£212,000 to the winner) and as its usually a tactical race then like pethers moon today,there is a good chance of getting placed and earning more than winning a group race elsewhere. I know that tapestry had an injury but surely a few highly rated 12f horses should have been aimed at it. Very strange indeed and helps make the Derby undercard very poor fare indeed.
I do agree about the Coronation Cup being underwhelming with only 4 runners, although great for Hannon and especially Pat Dobbs. With Royal Ascot well under 2 weeks away, it doesn’t surprise.
Although the Coronation Cup is a group 1, I think most owner/trainers would prefer to go to the Hardwicke stakes for the Ascot occasion and the easier to handle trackThe class 2 handicaps had a few filler types in there who aren’t up to scratch, but that’s general fare for most of these big field handicaps.
I had Cirrus down as this years Coronation Cup winner at 3/1 aswell, what price would he have gone off in todays field?but it seems the trainer was cautious about the track and maybe other trainers are not so keen on running their horses at Epsom where they can become unbalanced and there was nearly a nasty incident in the Oaks when a few came across the camber with Diamonds and Rubies nearly getting put over the rail.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I recall last year when Cirrus won, Soumillon dismounted very quickly as the horse was in pain a furlong or more out. He was out for a little while after that, nothing serious, but no reason for the trainer to come back, especially as he won anyway.
The 2 day Epsom meeting should be up there with Royal Ascot standard of races and only the big 3 races plus the Woodcote comes anywhere near the required standard IMO…..however to achieve this Royal Ascot (and the not so glorious in terms of quality either) Goodwood would need to be moved further into the Summer ( last week June and July respectively) so that Epsom ( for all of its unsuitability as a course) can attract quality fields to what should be quality races….at the moment we have neither
…to achieve this Royal Ascot (and the not so glorious in terms of quality either) Goodwood would need to be moved further into the Summer ( last week June and July respectively)….
I think we’ll just have to get used to the quality of the lesser races at the meeting as they are (and always have been).
Moving Royal Ascot so that it overlaps Wimbledon is just never going to happen.
Glorious Goodwood has always been scheduled for the last week of July anyway.
As Venusian rightly points out ‘always have been’. One hundred years ago (1913 to be precise), this was the card that greeted racegoers at Epsom on the first Wednesday in June:
1:30 Caterham Plate 2-y-olds 5 furlongs
2:05 Juvenile selling Plate 2-y-olds 5 furlongs
3:00 Derby
3:45 Stewards Handicap 3-y-olds 1 mile 44 yards
4:25 Ranmore Selling Plate 3-y-olds and up 5 furlongs
5:00 Epsom Town Handicap 3-y-olds and up 6 furlongsThe Coronation Cup was run on Thursday, the Oaks on Friday. The four day meeting started on Tuesday, when the feature was the Woodcote Stakes. Over the four days as a whole, there were ten races over 5 furlongs and another five over 6 furlongs. There were seven selling races in total.
As Venusian rightly points out ‘always have been’. One hundred years ago (1913 to be precise), this was the card that greeted racegoers at Epsom on the first Wednesday in June:
1:30 Caterham Plate 2-y-olds 5 furlongs
2:05 Juvenile selling Plate 2-y-olds 5 furlongs
3:00 Derby
3:45 Stewards Handicap 3-y-olds 1 mile 44 yards
4:25 Ranmore Selling Plate 3-y-olds and up 5 furlongs
5:00 Epsom Town Handicap 3-y-olds and up 6 furlongsThe Coronation Cup was run on Thursday, the Oaks on Friday. The four day meeting started on Tuesday, when the feature was the Woodcote Stakes. Over the four days as a whole, there were ten races over 5 furlongs and another five over 6 furlongs. There were seven selling races in total.
They would never be able to get away with that sort of thing these days. The BHA would make sure they were selling handicaps.
If starvation followed by over-indulgent pigging-out is your thing then the current two-day Derby Meeting could be said to be far, far better than the old four-day meeting
Prior to the removal of the Derby to Saturday and the reduction of the meeting to two days (Saturday and Sunday for a while if memory serves) the meeting was – as in 1913 – four days
Wednesday was Derby Day and the supporting card was the Woodcote, Diomed and Great Surrey Stakes: a fine undercard; but Thursday was Coronation Cup day with nothing but handicaps and maidens as company; Friday had nothing but a couple of decent handicaps: the Northern Dancer and Tokyo Trophy; and the Oaks on Saturday had another handicap & maiden undercard
A feast; then light bites and one hearty maincourse; then a restoring salad; then a final hearty maincourse
Derby Day
Coronation Cup Day
…..
Oaks DayMy idea of a grand four days
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