A review of the action from the undercard at Epsom Downs on Derby day.
Scotsman sparkles at Epsom
Royal Scotsman returned to his best with a smart performance in the Betfred Diomed Stakes.
Sent off at 17/2 in an open renewal of the Group 3 contest off the back of a disappointing return in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes (for which he was not unfancied), a change of tactics was employed with Royal Scotsman jumped out in front by Jamie Spencer.
He travelled strongly and quickened effortlessly when asked to about Spencer and opened up by five or six lengths with his rivals struggling. They did close at the line with the winning margin just two and a quarter lengths but the race had long since been won.
Royal Dubai was second and Highland Avenue third.
Royal Scotsman was only beaten a head by Chaldean in the 2022 Dewhurst and finished third behind the same horse in the 2000 Guineas before disappointing on his final two outings in 2023.
Oliver Cole, who trains the winner in conjunction with his father, Paul, said: “We’ve done a lot of stalls work in the last 10 days or so, put a Monty Roberts run on him and got him straight. In the Lockinge, what we found is his head was getting cocked when he was coming out of the stalls and the Monty Roberts and going forward sorted it all out.
“I spoke to Jamie three times this week, telling him just to hold the neckstrap – I told him very respectfully because he’s a jockey and I’m not – give him all the rein he can possibly give him and just go forward. He’s done it very well and the plan was always to go forward today so he can relax in front. We won three Group races from the front last year, and it just settles them down, especially these Gleneagles, who are quite highly strung. If you get in a tussle early on, it costs you at the end and he proved that at the end of his two-year-old career and as a three-year-old. He’s done it very well and we couldn’t be happier.”
When asked if he was surprised how easily he was going at the furlong pole, Spencer joked: “When you get to King’s Cross Station you board as a passenger and that’s exactly what I was.
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