Derby Preview and Best Bets


Derby Preview and Best Bets


All eyes on Epsom this coming Saturday, as the Surrey track plays host to the most famous flat race of the British season. Once again attracting the very best runners from both sides of the Irish Sea, the battle for the £1.6million in total prize money and Classic prestige looks set to be as hot as ever. And as always, the question on everyone’s lips in the lead up to the race is, “Who’s going to win?”….

The Favourites

Last successful with Workforce back in 2010, five-time Derby winning trainer Sire Michael Stoute is being made to wait for win number six. However, that wait may be about to end in 2022, as it is the Stoute trained, Desert Crown (7/4 with Betfred) who is out on his own at the head of the betting.

A perfect two from two in his career to date, he arrives on the back of an excellent win in the Dante Stakes, when impressing both visually and with the time on the clock. Should he handle both the unique undulations of Epsom, and this step up to 1m4f, he may well prove the class act in the field.

It wouldn’t be a Derby without a fancied runner from the Irish operation of Aidan O’Brien, and the Ballydoyle maestro sends three into battle this time around, in the shape of Changingoftheguard, Star Of India and Stone Age.

The choice of Ryan Moore, it is Stone Age who has emerged as the stable number one, shortening into 4/1 with William Hill following an authoritative success in a trial for this race at Leopardstown. Being by the sadly departed super sire Galileo, he shouldn’t be found wanting in the stamina department and seems likely to be involved.

Lively Outsiders

This hasn’t been a particularly happy hunting ground for favourite backers in recent years, with four of the past five winners being priced at 16/1 or bigger. It therefore may make sense to look a little further down the betting list.

Piz Badile (10/1 with Betfred) will likely prove popular on the back of a win in the Ballysax Stakes and with the evergreen Frankie Dettori in the saddle, whilst Aidan O’Brien’s apparent second string Changingoftheguard (8/1) could prove dangerous - particularly should the rain arrive.

Star Of India (16/1 Betfred) meanwhile went into many notebooks when scoring stylishly on debut at Leopardstown back in October. Disappointing when tapped for toe on his seasonal return in the 1m Craven Stakes, he then bounced right back to form when landing the 1m2½f Dee Stakes at Chester in his prep run for this. Hitting the line strongly that day, this further step up in trip may bring out more, and this Galileo colt can go well.

West Wind Blows (33/1 William Hill) has a lot more to prove than Star Of India, but we like what we have seen from the mount of Jack Mitchell. Landing his maiden at the first time of asking last season, he looked to have trained on nicely when pulverising his rivals from the front at Nottingham - giving a decent field 7lbs and a five-length beating. An out and out galloper, he takes a big step up in class here, but may be tough to keep out of the places if getting into a rhythm on the front end.

Best Bets

If there is a superstar in this year’s line-up, it does seem most likely to be Desert Crown. However, with slight questions to answer regarding the track and trip, he’s not for us at what is a pretty skinny price.

With a number of firms offering additional places, this seems a good race for a couple of each way punts against the market leaders, with both Star Of India and West Wind Blows looking good value to hit the frame.

  • Each Way Tip - Star Of India @16/1 with Betfred
  • Each Way Tip - West Wind Blows @ 33/1 with William Hill

Top 20 Betting Offers

easyBet
easyBet
Bet £20 and Get £20 Claim Offer

New Customers Only. Sign up with bonus code: EB20. Bet £20 and get £20 in Free Bets. Paid as £5 Free Bet on Soccer, £5 Free Bet on Horse Racing, £5 Free Bet on Multiples and a £5 Free Bet on any Market. Terms apply 18+ gambleaware.org.

BetMGM
BetMGM
Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets Claim Offer

New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply.

Tote
Tote
Bet £10 Get £30 in Bonuses Claim Offer

New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. One welcome offer per customer. Bet a minimum of £/€10 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £/€10 Win + £/€10 Place) within 7 days of registration to qualify. Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€10 sports Free Bet and 20 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to the bet slip. 7-day expiry. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply.

Bresbet
Bresbet
Bet £10 Get a £10 Free Bet Claim Offer

T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a single win-only bet of £10 or more with odds of evens (2.00) or greater to qualify. Money back as £10 in free bets. Free bet is credited the day after the qualifying bet has settled. Must use code B10G10 when creating an account.

Betfred
Betfred
Bet £10 and get £50 in Free Bets Claim Offer

New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility exclusions & T&Cs Apply.

10bet
10bet
100% Welcome Bonus up to £50 Claim Offer

New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ Please gamble responsibly.

BetMaze
BetMaze
Bet £20 Get £20 Free Bet Claim Offer

18+ New customers only. Min deposit £20. Min Wager £20 at min odds 1/1 (2.0). Max free bet £20. T&Cs apply begambleaware.

Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets Claim Offer

18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

BetZone
BetZone
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets Claim Offer

18+ New Customers Only. Place a single £10 bet within 3 calendar days of registration. Bet must settle on the same day of placement. Min odds Evens (2.00). 4 x £5 Free Bets valid for 7 days. Max win £250. T&Cs apply. Ends 28/02/25. GB residents only. Gamble responsibly

Bzeebet
Bzeebet
Bet £10, Get a £10 Free Bet Claim Offer

18+. New Customers Only. Max 1 x £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Coral
Coral
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets Claim Offer

18+ New Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4 x £5 free bets. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Spreadex
Spreadex
Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets Claim Offer

Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.18+ www.gambleaware.org.

talkSPORTBET
talkSPORTBET
Get up to £50 in Bonuses Claim Offer

18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on any sports at odds of 1/1+ within 7 days of signing up. Get £15 & £10 in Free bets for set markets & £15 & £10 in Slots Bonus for set games, 40x wagering, to withdraw max £625. Rewards expire in 30 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly

32Red
32Red
150% Casino Bonus up to £150! Claim Offer

18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD

SportingIndex
SportingIndex
Bet £10 Get £20 Claim Offer

New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free bets. 18+ begambleaware

PariMatch
PariMatch
Bet £10 Get £30 in Bonuses Claim Offer

18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£5 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 20 days. Full T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Monster
Monster
Bet £20, Get a £40 Free Bet Claim Offer

New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Progress Play network Full Terms Apply.

Copybet
Copybet
Bet £20, Get £20 in Free Bets Claim Offer

New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either a Single or Acca (2+ selections) bet, start at £20, have 1.9 or greater odds and must be settled within 7 days of opt-in. The Free bet include: 1 x £20 Free bet any Live or Pre-Match event. Max payout – £500. 7-day expiry. To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app secured by Truelayer. Profit boost: One boost per day; claim required. 1 day to claim (by 23:59 UTC+3). Max stake £30. Single bets only. No Free Bets. Profit Boost valid for 24 hrs. Max payout £1,000. Credited within 24 hrs. 18+. BeGambleAware.com

Midnite
Midnite
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets Claim Offer

New UK Customers. Register using code BETGETSPORTS. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 4.0. £20 awarded as 4 X £5 free bets once settled, AND 50 Free Spins to use on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Free bet T&Cs Apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org

AllBritishSport
AllBritishSport
Bet £10, Get a £10 Free Bet Claim Offer

New Customers Only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more. Bets must be placed within 24 hours of registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. UK residents. Full terms apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+