The Epsom Derby 2021

Date: Saturday 5th June 2021

This looks a more open Derby than the market first suggested. The classic ingredients are still there though, namely strong prep form, a trainer with a proven Derby record and a colt with the class to handle both the track and the occasion.

Draw can matter at Epsom, but recent years have shown that the right horse can overcome almost anything if the engine is big enough. On the Turf Talk ratings these are the ones that stand out.

The strongest pointers this year look to be prep-race performance, stable profile and whether the colt has already shown the class to compete in top company. Ballydoyle and Godolphin remain the two operations to focus on first.

Bolshoi Ballet (11/8 available)

He is the clear top-rated horse and very much the one they all have to beat.

He comes from the right yard, has done the job impressively in his prep races and has the profile of a colt still moving forward. He fits the current Derby pattern better than most and deservedly heads the market.

Adayar (16/1 available)

A much bigger price than the top pick, but one who still has plenty going for him.

Godolphin know how to target this race and he has the type of profile that could improve a good deal for the Derby trip. He may not have the fashionable angle of the favourite, but he does have the class and stable profile to outrun his odds.

Hurricane Lane (9/1 available)

Another Godolphin runner who makes a lot of appeal.

He fits the recent-run and class trends well, and he shapes as though the trip will suit. He lacks the market dominance of Bolshoi Ballet but looks one to keep very much on side.

The ratings say Bolshoi Ballet is the one to beat, but Adayar and Hurricane Lane look the value against him if the favourite fails to deliver.