Epsom, Tuesday 28 April 2026: Good Ground, Three Races, Plenty of Angles

Epsom, Tuesday 28 April 2026: Good Ground, Three Races, Plenty of Angles

Epsom's unique undulating track separates horses from passengers at the best of times. On good ground with a Blue Riband Trial to open proceedings, a competitive City and Suburban handicap to follow, and the Great Met to round things off, there's enough here to keep things interesting. The Gosden yard is firing at 11 from 36 over the last fortnight, which is a number worth filing away before you look at the racecard.

2:40 — Betfred Blue Riband Trial Stakes (Listed, 1m2f)

Six runners, a Derby trial feel, and Ryan Moore booked. The market has made its feelings clear with New Zealand as the 8/13 jolly, and that's fair enough on form ratings alone. RPR 116 is a cut above anything else in this field. He was bogged down by very soft ground and a step up in class in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud last autumn, and that effort should be forgiven wholesale. Back on good going, with a more realistic target, A.P. O'Brien's Frankel colt should travel sweetly around this track and put the race to bed.

The bigger interest for value purposes is Saxon Street, at 11/4 with Bet365 and 5/2 with William Hill. The Gosdens have won five of the last ten runnings of this race. That is not a coincidence you ignore. Saxon Street won his Chelmsford debut with purpose despite workmanlike looks, and the step to 1m2f at Epsom is precisely the type of assignment this yard maps out patiently. William Buick takes the ride, which adds weight to the idea this yard means business today. He won't run New Zealand down, but at 11/4 for a place he's a solid framing option if you want an alternative.

Selection: New Zealand at 8/13 (William Hill, Midnite). At odds-on in a six-runner Listed race, this is a win-only situation. Moore, O'Brien, Frankel, good ground. He's the one.

3:15 — City and Suburban Handicap (1m2f, 7 runners)

Rathgar Each-Way is the play at 4/1 with Bet365. Jack Channon's six-year-old beat 13 rivals at Newbury just ten days ago on good ground over this same 1m2f trip. He's back up 4lb in the weights, but he was second in this very race twelve months ago when just 1lb lower than today's mark, which tells you the handicapper hasn't overreacted and this horse genuinely belongs here. Tom Marquand partnered him to that Newbury win and retains the ride. Fresh, in form, proven at the trip and at the level. That combination doesn't come around often enough.

Dangerman at 7/2 (Bet365) is the most dangerous rival. The Gosden/Buick combination lights up the racecard again, and there's a strong case: this horse won back-to-back at Sandown last summer when blinkers were applied, and he's back in those blinkers today. He didn't handle the step to 1m4f at Newmarket in October, so reverting to 1m2f is sensible. He's lightly raced for a four-year-old and the yard rarely sends horses to Epsom without them being ready. At 7/2 he's probably the second string.

Sallaal for Roger Varian can't be completely dismissed, with the gelding operation since his Listed runs and the trainer winning this in back-to-back years, but at 7/2 he's the same price as Dangerman with less recent evidence. Rathgar, fit and proven over course and trip, is the one to be on.

3:50 — Great Metropolitan Handicap (1m4f, 5 runners)

Small field, but the quality is genuinely competitive. Topteam at 13/8 (Bet365, William Hill) is the Andrew Balding runner with the most compelling recent evidence. He won three times on good ground last season at 1m2f and 1m4f, often doing so in tight finishes that speak to his attitude. The gelding operation before this season hasn't blunted that spirit; he landed a Kempton handicap on the all-weather three weeks ago, digging in to score. That's a horse that wants to compete and finds a way.

The chief threat is Asgard's Captain at 7/2 (Bet365, Bet Victor). John Egan's mount won this race last year on good ground over the same course and distance. He's arrived fit from three runs at Meydan, won at York last August in good style, and Dylan Cunha's yard, while quiet at 0 from 20 in the last fortnight, has a horse who clearly loves this course. Course and distance winner with a recent prep abroad is a straightforward angle.

Topteam's attitude and the quality of his form gives him the edge at a price that offers some value over the jolly.

Today's NAP