The Early Favourites For The Derby

By Adiba

Now that the Guineas Festival is over for another year, all eyes turn to Epsom and The Derby. The most prestigious of the five British Classics, The Derby serves as the middle leg of the famous Triple Crown. Set to take place on June 5th, if you're looking to find the favorite, look no further than the latest horse racing results to find some tips – and read on, as we highlight the market's front-runners for success.

Mohaafeth

After an impressive performance at Newmarket earlier this month, the Irish-bred Mohaafeth heads up the favorites going into The Derby. With Jim Crowley in the saddle, the three-year-old ran clear in the Listed Newmarket Stakes, going on to win quite comfortably – by five lengths. Following that victory, his price was slashed by many of the bookmakers from 33/1 to 6/1. He looked impressive on the Rowley Mile in April too, winning a Handicap race on that occasion.

Follow NewsGram on Twitter to stay updated about the World news.

Bolshoi Ballet

Bolshoi Ballet boosted his Derby hopes with an emphatic performance on his season debut, at Leopardstown last month. The colt, ridden by Moore, beat Flying Visit to land victory in the Ballysax Stakes – an eleventh win in the race for trainer Aidan O'Brien. On his previous outing, he could only finish fifth in The Criterium, in his first Group One race. Following the win at Leopardstown, Moore said:

"He is a good-moving colt, lovely mind, does everything right."

High Definition

Two races at the Curragh and two wins for O'Brien's highly-rated High Definition. The colt won both of those entries by just three-quarters of a length, but jockey Ryan Moore has claimed that The Derby is the dream. And the jockey stands a good chance of success with stablemate, Bolshoi Ballet also amongst the front-runners. Talking about High Definition, the jockey told Racing TV:

"He looks like a very obvious Derby horse and I think the plan is to have a run in one of the major trials and then go straight to Epsom."

Van Gogh

Another from O'Brien's yard now, and Van Gogh is no stranger to a Grade One win already. Placing five times in seven starts, the three-year-old most recently won The Criterium at Saint-Cloud and bolsters O'Brien's army of colts ahead of The Derby. The only negative? Van Gogh is yet to race over a mile, but his mare won The Oaks back in 2001. Recently came eighth in the 2,000 Guineas.

ALSO READ: Tale Of The Season: Barnsley

Mac Swiney

A mixed bag of results as a two-year-old, Mac Swiney boasted a record of 519181-, a return to winning ways at Doncaster in the Group One Trophy Stakes at the end of last season bolstered his claims as a Derby contender. It was a gutsy performance by jockey Kevin Manning, with Mac Swiney winning by three-quarters of a length – as the 12/1 shot. While his previous wins came over a distance of seven furlongs, trainer, Jim Bolger already has his hopes set on Epsom. He told reporters:

"I've been regarding him as my Derby horse since he first went to the races and after today that opinion is not about to change."

(Disclaimer: The article is sponsored and hence promotes some commercial links.)