ITV Racing Tips: Three To Back On Derby Day

After a brilliant beginning to the Betfred Derby Festival, the main event is almost upon us and Saturday promises to be a sizzler. The ITV Racing cameras are of course in town ready to witness history and Billy Grimshaw has three recommended bets outside of the Classic worth consideration...

14:05 Epsom - Princess Elizabeth Stakes

A decent field has assembled for this Group 3 contest and the first thing I wanted to do was be dead set against 3/1 favourite She's Perfect, given the sheer depth of challenge in behind her. She is winless in five, albeit her connections and plenty of others argue she should have been a French Guineas winner in that sequence, but although every horse is entitled a poor run to start their campaign I thought she was beaten easily enough at Goodwood last time out and wouldn't have her heading the market here, especially with soft ground potentially on the cards.

The sole three year old in the field Pacific Mission comes next in the odds grids and she of course receives weight all round here, but for all Andrew Balding's horses have been coming on for their runs (particularly this season), she was so off the boil at York last time I think this would take a lunge back to form and then a career best would be needed. That is one too many variables for me, so she is on the outer too.

It's anyone's guess what the weather will do tomorrow and whichever site you look to seems to show something different, however I am fairly confident the word soft will at least be in the description and as such the 9/2 about SPARKS FLY has to be taken. She ran a brilliant race from a tricky wide draw in this race last season, rattling home for third, and given we know her favourite race conditions are cut in the ground and prominent tactics, her draw today in stall 2 is much more appealing. She is not getting any younger at six but ran what could emerge as a very smart race indeed at Chester last time out, finishing just two lengths off Lambourn who could secure the Coronation Cup about half an hour after this race concludes.

Laura Pearson is a fearless rider and I am hopeful she will fire this filly out of the gates and attempt to make all, but so long as she at the very least keeps her prominent inside position I cannot see her out of the first three home. Back her each-way if that is your punting style, but she's a confident win-only pick for me to kick off what should be a phenomenal Saturday.

14:40 Epsom - Coronation Cup

A contest worthy of headlining any raceday has in 2026 been moved from Oaks Day on Friday onto Derby Day itself, in the hope of attracting even more fans through the turnstiles on the biggest day of the year down at Epsom. Through the years some of the best horses of all time have tasted Coronation Cup glory and this year's Group 1 looks at first glance to be a shootout between last season's 1-2; Jan Brueghel and CALANDAGAN.

For all there are plenty of reasons the winner from last year can retain his crown, the preeminent one being he is a fantastic racehorse with a wonderful attitude, I have to be with the French raider who following the reversal in this race last year went on to have a stunning 2025, including capping things off as the best rated horse in the world and winning the Japan Cup. He has taken his form to new heights since their last meeting and while there are some who say he will be blunted by the soft ground here should more rain arrive, I am fairly comfortable that he is versatile groundwise.

Watch back last year's race in its entirety and it becomes fairly obvious - to my eye, anyway - that Calandagan would have won were it not for his slow start. Ryan Moore blasted off on Jan Brueghel while Calandagan was caught napping, and with the winning distance just half a length I'm in little doubt the French horse will reverse that all things being equal. He actually got upsides the winner this time last year, but was just outstayed in the final furlong due to the exertions he had been forced into mid-race to make up the ground lost at the start. If he breaks alertly this time around, he can gain vengeance.

The potential fly in the ointment could be Team Ballydoyle's spoiling tactics. They have 2025 Derby hero Lambourn also in the race and while he will live on in history for his exploits here and at the Curragh last campaign, he is no world-beater and not of the level of the top two. He could, however, be used to set a relentless gallop which would bring Jan Brueghel's stamina into play once more. Illinois could also be used for the same tactic by Aidan O'Brien in the hope of making the race pan out perfectly for their leading hope.

Despite these concerns, I am willing to put my faith in 2025's best middle distance horse righting his only wrong from last year here and think Calandagan at odds against is a decent punt. if he starts any better than last season, he wins.

15:15 Epsom - Epsom Dash

If the Derby is the headline act at Epsom, the Dash is the traditional curtain-raiser, a blink and you'll miss it five furlong blast at what is widely regarded as the speediest course in world racing. There will be no track records set on Saturday given the slow ground that's expected but we will undoubtedly see a rapid winner One of my all time favourite flat horses Caspian Prince was a three time winner of this race and all three were down to his awesome gate-speed, and that is something I want in my fancy for 2026.

Democracy Dilemma fits that bill and he has placed form in this race, second two years ago and fourth last season. His draw in three does put me off a touch, however we all know with these real speed balls the draw can be negated as they are effectively just racing themselves until their petrol tank empties! He is as solid as you can ever get in the Dash each-way and won't mind the softness in the ground description, but at a bigger price I am going to chance Robert Cowell's ALMATY STAR.

Renowned for his prowess with sprinters, i was surprised to see Cowell had never won this race but he has a strong hand this year and I loved the all-the-way success of this lad at Yarmouth in mid April, which was the last time we saw him. He showed brilliant speed at the start that day and that is something he has made a bit of a trademark of this campaign. He looks in career best form and I like the profile of a rapid sprinter who seems to find even five furlongs at certain courses too long of a test.

Epsom is all about these speedballs and if he hits the gates as alertly as he can, there won't be many in and around him who can keep up. Whether he lasts home or whether his is the group to be in is in the lap of the gods, but 20/1 was too big to ignore. He has run and flopped here in the past, but he looks revitalised this season and has not been beaten further than two lengths in seven starts, so I fancy he'll be in the frame come the final strides.