Wesley Ward's runner at Deauville did what was expected, and that was to lead from the front, but she didn't manage to see off the UK and Irish challengers.
I thought it was a likeable performance from Outfielder. She battled hard when the likes of Gstaad and Clive Cox's horse applied pressure, but she lacked gears inside the final one and a half furlongs. Venetian Sun was the eventual winner, showcasing Karl Burke's talents once again.
She is definitely the best filly we've seen from the UK, and she might follow in the footsteps of Laurens, who was a flagbearer for many years for the Burke stable.
Beauld As Brass 6/1 (1pt) – Epsom 3.20
The Amateur Derby isn't going to be a race which a lot of people will want to have a bet in due to the riders involved. Backing amateur jockeys is always a dodgy thing to do, but Patrick Mullins in this field is as good as having a fully fledged professional in the saddle.
Beauld As Brass has enjoyed a productive year for George Baker. He has managed to win five times. The first win came off a handicap mark of 62, which is 24lbs lower than his current handicap mark. I get the feeling that George has had this race in mind since before the season started. He was running him in amateur jockey races and had Mr Simon Walker in the saddle for the first three wins. Simon Walker is one of the better jockeys in this sphere and has won this race three times in the past. Simon was booked to ride Beauld As Brass for this race, but for some reason, he isn't on board, so they've got Patrick Mullins on board. Patrick is 2/3 in this race, and he isn't one for coming to the UK for rides which don't have great chances.
The drop back in trip to 1m 4f is my biggest concern as he was a strong stayer over 1m 6f at Haydock. He will likely miss the break in his usual style, so being on the back foot isn't going to be ideal, but Patrick is a very patient rider, so he will not rush him into contention. Last time out, he ran in the marathon race at the Glorious Goodwood festival, where he was comfortably beaten. He looked like he was going to mount a challenge in the home straight, but he didn't have the stamina for the trip and fell back quickly.
Considering Patrick is in the saddle, I was expecting much shorter odds. 6/1 seems like excellent value.
Our Mighty Mo 8/1 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – Epsom 5.03
Karl Burke doesn't have the best record at Epsom in the last five years, but I don't think that's enough to stop you from backing Mighty Mo at decent odds.
I was very close to going with the easy option of backing Silver Trumpet in this race. He was very impressive last time out when the money was down. He was strong in the market and made mincemeat of the field that day, in a race I had a selection in. He has gone up 9lbs for that win. I don't think that's enough to stop him from winning races, but Our Mighty Mo caught my interest in a weak enough race.
If you take out the favourite, it's not a fantastic race. Our Mighty Mo was a solid juvenile last year and has hinted that he still has ability this season. Ideally, I think they'd want softer ground for him, as his wins last year came on soft and heavy. However, his run at Chester on good ground was a nice enough effort in a Class 2 race, so maybe he's not ground dependent.
I think this type of track will play to his strengths, and I think the drop back to 7f has to be positive as well.
He is one of the pace angles in this race, and as we've seen time and time again, it can be hard to peg horses back when going from the front around Epsom.
GambleAware