It is the biggest flat race on the calendar, the blue ribband of flat racing, and the one that people across the world will be tuning in to and everyone involved in the industry wants to win. The Epsom Derby has been in existence since 1780, and since then the race has been won by some of the most famous names that the sport has ever seen.
Held at the quirky Epsom racetrack in Surrey, England, the Derby forms part of the Triple Crown of British flat racing, and although it has had many legendary winners, it has also had its fair share of surprisingly underwhelming performances.
Are Derby Favourites The Ones To Watch?
Horses are favourites for a race for a reason, with their previous exploits in the year pointing towards what could be achieved in the future. On many occasions, these Derby favourites fulfil their destiny, but some ultimately fail to fire on the grandest stage of them all.
In 2023, those of you who will be betting on racing online will see that the Aidan O’Brien-trained, Auguste Rodin, is the current 2/1 favourite for the Derby. Will he follow in the footsteps of last season’s 5/2 winning favourite, Desert Crown, or will he be downed by an outsider like Bolshoi Ballet was in 2021 at a price of 11/8?
How Have Recent Favourites Performed?
As stated, Desert Crown justified favouritism in last season’s Derby when returning at 5/2 for Sir Michael Stoute and Richard Kingscote. In the previous two years, however, the Epsom Classic was won by horses at prices of 16/1 and 25/1.
In fact, Desert Crown’s 2022 win was the first time a favourite had won the race in the past seven years. If we rewind the clock to 2010, only three legendary horses, Camelot, Australia, and Golden Horn have won at Epsom having gone off as favourites.
Sir Michael Stoute’s Derby winners:
🏆 1981 – Shergar
🏆 1986 – Shahrastani
🏆 2003 – Kris kin
🏆 2004 – North Light
🏆 2010 – Workforce
🏆 2022 – Desert Crown#CazooDerby | @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/vvNcH0WmL1— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 4, 2022
Can Auguste Rodin Keep The Favourites On A Roll?
As we have seen, the Epsom Derby has proven to be a tough place for race favourites to add their names to the prestigious winners’ list. After Desert Crown’s win 12 months ago, the top-class talent that is Auguste Rodin will be hoping to continue the trend in 2023.
Trained by the winning most Derby trainer, Aidan O’Brien, Auguste Rodin seems to have all of the attributes in his locker that it takes to win a race of this nature. He looks like a strong stayer in the making and depending on his exploits earlier in the season, he is likely to go off a well-fancied favourite in 2023.
He will be taking in the 2000 Guineas at the start of the season, where he is likely to bump into his stablemate, Little Big Bear. It will be the first step on a road that has the potential to turn into a Triple Crown campaign, but the Derby will be the race that will suit him most.
Betfred Derby favourite, Auguste Rodin 😍
YES or NO? pic.twitter.com/w9Ai4TTcdv
— Epsom Downs Racecourse (@EpsomRacecourse) April 21, 2023
With just four winning Derby favourites since 2010, the signs look ominous for Auguste Rodin in 2023. There always seems to be an outlier amongst the Derby field, but any potential challenger this year will have to be a special talent to stop Auguste Rodin from making it nine wins in the race for Aidan O’Brien.