Epsom Dash Tips: Dusky to Lord over his rivals in sprint
One of the highlights on Epsom Derby is the Dash Handicap, which is run earlier in the afternoon as the five-furlong sprinters scorch the turf in a bid to win the valuable sprinting prize. Our man Steve Chambers previews the race here and picks out his best bet for the contest...
A shock 25/1 winner in last year's Dash, Mokaatil will be attempting to retain his crown this weekend, and having already tasted victory at Epsom this term then the Ian Williams-trained raider will be a leading contender for glory here. However, he was victorious off a mark of 82 in the 2021 renewal and lines up on Saturday off 87, so he will have work to do to land this prize, and he was well held off 88 last time out.
Adam West's Live In The Dream has been a revelation this season as having won at Sandown off 84 he then followed up with a facile Chester win off 92, so it's no surprise to see him near the head of the betting. He will have another 7lbs rise to contend with here, so 99 will be a tough ask, but he is in red-hot form and there certainly looks more to come, so he has to go on the shortlist.
An impressive winner at York last time out, Fine Wine's form from the Knavesmire has been given a huge boost by the second placed Raasel, who went on to win a Listed contest next time out, so if Fine Wine can deal with a notable 9lbs rise then he looks to have the potential to be much better than his current mark of 95. Jonathan Fisher will take a valuable 5lbs off his back, so he's certainly attractive from a punting perspective, and is entitled to be the market leader.
Third in this race 12 months ago off a mark of 102, Andrew Balding's Stone Of Destiny is sure to catch the eye of some form students as he takes to the track on Saturday off a mark of 92 in this hugely competitive event, so at 7/1 he has to make appeal. However, he has found it hard to land a blow in recent times and hasn't got his head in front since the 2020 Portland Handicap at Doncaster, so he is best watched.
The one worth siding with is Roger Varian's DUSKY LORD, who made a terrific return to the track last month when winning a Newmarket handicap over five furlongs off 82 and lining up off 89 in this event then the 10/1 is a cracking bet. With only six career runs on his CV, Varian's son of Twilight Son has been victorious in three of them with the whole trio of those victories coming over five furlongs. His three defeats have come over six furlongs, so maintaining his place over the minimum trip is paramount to bring the best out of him and off a fast pace which this is sure to be he can storm to glory.
A former winner of the Great St. Wilfrid at Ripon, Justanotherbottle will have the burden of top weight here, but he failed to figure off 101 at Newmarket last time out, and runs off 102 here, so he can struggle, while another towards the top of the handicap that will find life tough are Master Matt and Blue De Vega.
One that could run well at double-figured odds is the Paul Midgley-trained Mid Winster, who showed signs of her best last time out when winning at Catterick off 84 and while a 5lbs rise will make life tougher for the mare, she will head to Epsom in superb form, so could make the frame around the 20/1 mark.