The Derby preview: horseracing betting

The Derby is one of the most enduring races in the calendar, not only because it provides the rubber stamp as far as breeding is concerned, but also because it is one of the few races in the world which demands the complete thoroughbred animal puts in a flawless performance. Click here for a free £200 to bet on the Derby with Canbet You may think this is pure drama and hype, but there really is no other race in the British programme which places such emphasis on the athletic qualities of cruising speed, balance, stamina and the ability to quicken when the going gets tough. Epsom's camber has been the burial ground of many a faint hope of glory, and if your selection has shown temperament issues, or awkwardness in the past, then you might as well forget it. Which brings us nicely to the quirky, but talented New Approach. The 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up has been at the centre of a storm, after he was effectively scratched from the race, and then re-instated to the line-up. The colt's trainer Jim Bolger, called a press conference on April 21 saying that New Approach was a likely defector. The horse's price on Betfair went out to a massive 209/1 by Sunday, before the news was broken on Monday that New Approach would indeed run, prompting wild-eyed dismay from bookmakers, Betfair layers and trainers alike. It is a disgraceful act by Bolger - he didn't have to rule the horse out so publicly if he had an inkling that he was going to run it - but one that makes the race a better spectacle for it. For the record, New Approach probably won't win anyway. Although his sire is 2001 Derby winner Galileo , the long-time Derby favourite has been running over 1m for much of his career and is unlikely to relish the step up in trip so immediately. He also has landed stall three, and considering no horse has won from stalls one, two, or three for eight years, he certainly looks worth opposing. Punters looking for clues about how bullish connections are ahead of the race need not go further than the trio of big-race favourite Casual Conquest, Chester Vase winner Doctor Freemantle and French 2,000 Guineas third River Proud, who were all supplemented at a cost of £75,000 on Monday. Such a move is usually only for the very rich, or for the very sure, but in all three instances, it seems to be both. Of the three, Casual Conquest looks by far the most likely winner, which is reflected in his price at around the 4/1 mark. That is a fair price, considering that the Hernando colt showed many of the qualities required to win a Derby when scoring in the Derristown Derby trial at Leopardstown by six lengths. That race has been won en route by some of the best Derby winners of recent times (Sinndar 2000, Galileo 2001 and High Chaparral in 2002) and the only thing that seems to count against the favourite is his size. Casual Conquest stands at just over 16 hands but if Dermot Weld's colt has the balance, he has proved that he has the speed, stamina and class to win the Blue Riband event of the summer. Verdict: 2pts Casual Conquest @ 4/1 Click here for a free £200 to bet on the Derby with Canbet