Saturday's Epsom Tips: Tom Collins believes De La Sayette can shine on Derby day
By Tom Collins
Latest Epsom Odds2 June 2023
Every edition of the Derby is hotly anticipated and exciting - it’s one the world’s most famous horse races after all - but this year’s renewal is confusing and tricky in equal measure.
Unlike recent seasons where there has been a clear standout three-year-old or several with rock-solid form at the top of the market, the 2023 edition features a number of colts who have a point to prove. The market is unsurprisingly wide open as a result, with runners hailing from the big yards rising to the top.
Aidan O’Brien has won this race eight times in his career and is represented this time around by Auguste Rodin, who beat just two horses home in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on his seasonal reappearance. Plenty of punters will look to oppose him on that evidence, but horses continually make fools out of those willing to write them off after one blip and I believe he’s a major player.
Auguste Rodin’s two-year-old form was the best out of these - his Vertem Futurity success was visually impressive and confirmed a high level of ability that he showed at Leopardstown a month previous. O’Brien and the team at Ballymore made no bones about him being their number one Derby contender from some way out and this quicker ground could see him bounce back.
I think he holds a similar chance to Godolphin’s Military Order, who beat a really nice horse in Exoplanet two starts back before winning the Lingfield Derby trial on the all-weather. He’s a sizable three-year-old who wouldn't have been best suited by that track, so marking up his effort is easy, and he’s bred for this race being a full-brother to 2021 winner Adayar.
It’s hard to split them and for that reason I probably won’t have a bet in the race, but I much prefer those two over the likes of Passenger (talent question marks), Arrest (ground worry), Sprewell (won a weak trial), White Birch (will need to pass them all) and The Foxes (stamina concerns).
My first bet on the day will come in the Lester Piggott Handicap (3.55 Epsom), a race that features a number of up-and-coming performers. Although I respect Balance Play and Promoter, my preference is for the John and Thady Gosden-trained Torito, who will be ridden by Benoit De La Sayette.
This son of Kingman was heavily punted into 11/8 favouritism on debut at Newbury last year and ran a good race despite failing to win - perhaps the soft ground on that occasion blunted his turn of foot. The Gosdens decided to bide their time with him after that and he returned after a lengthy break with a victory in a poor small-field event at Nottingham.
But it was his latest second at Sandown that entices me. The winner, who will run in the Derby, is obviously highly regarded and Torito pushed him all the way to the line on ground that was undoubtedly softer than ideal. His pedigree screams quick conditions and this first attempt on good to firm turf should bring about further improvement. I like his draw in stall four, he has tactical speed and shouldn’t be too far off the pace, and a mark of 95 seems pretty fair.
Benoit De La Sayette also partners my best bet of the day in the UK, which is Max Mayhem in the following 1m4f Rio Ferdinand Foundation Northern Dancer Handicap (4.30 Epsom).
This horse began his career in Ireland with Joseph O’Brien and performed admirably in a spate of big-field handicaps before being sent across to join Kevin Philippart De Foy at the end of last season. That exact move was untaken a year earlier by Vafortino, who ended up winning the Victoria Cup on his second start for new connections.
Max Mayhem will have his second start for Philippart De Foy on Saturday, 54 days after he beat a good field in a competitive edition of the Rosebery Handicap at Kempton. I was on course that day and I thought it was notable how wide he was forced to sit throughout that contest, yet he still had enough energy in the tank to hold off all-comers in the closing stages.
Similarly interesting was the fact that his rider couldn’t pull him up after the line and both he and runner-up HMS President, who has won since, completed another half-circuit of the course before eventually returning to the winner’s enclosure. Epsom was immediately given as the next target and a 4lb rise shouldn’t stop him if he handles the camber.