Epsom eye-catchers: horses to follow from the Betfred Derby Festival

It is fair to say it paid to be up with the pace in most of the races at Epsom this week, with very few horses getting into things from the rear in the testing conditions.

Though conditions were not soft for the first race of the meeting, the three-year-old Dash, it still paid to be handy, and Call Margot caught the eye as the only horse to get involved from the rear and was denied a clear run at a crucial stage before going down by just three-quarters of a length to Naana’s Shadow.

She still had 12 runners or so in front of her passing the furlong pole at 41mph, and was trapped for room on the rail, another few strides and she may have won, too.

Call Margot recorded a final furlong  time of 11.69 seconds, the fastest in the 16-runner race, and is worth adding to your Racing TV Tracker. Her trainer Gemma Tutty won this two years ago with Blue Storm, who went on to finish second in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot on his next start.

This looked a decent renewal of the extended mile Group Three and though Seagulls Eleven and Persica stretched a couple of lengths clear of the Karl Burke-trained duo Boiling Point and Ice Max, it was the fourth-placed finished who looked the one to take out of the race.

The grey was settled towards the rear, and with the field again coming up the standside rail, had little room to manoeuvre at a crucial stage.

Though he wouldn’t have won, he might have placed had a kinder passage opened up for him and the race was certainly not run to suit a horse who is a strong stayer at this trip. The steady gallop saw the winner record a finishing speed percentage (FSP) of 107.81 per cent.

Ice Max has been relatively busy this year but proved he is good form with a third behind Lambourn and Bay City Roller in the Huxley Stakes last month before being a shade unlucky at Goodwood two weeks later. He is one to follow in a more strongly run race and would be of interest back over a mile and a quarter.

Ralph Beckett’s four-year-old looks well-handicapped is definitely worthy of a place in your Racing TV Tracker, having run well in all three starts this season but remaining on the mark he stated off the season on, a very reasonable-looking 89.

Having signed off last season with two wins, he looked to be done for a bit of speed on his return at Newmarket, finishing fourth, and was then hugely unlucky in a decent handicap at Newbury last month, finishing fifth, just two lengths off the placed having been badly hampered with a furlong to race.

His run at Epsom on Friday can also be upgraded. He had to make his challenge towards the centre of the course on a day where it paid to be up towards the nearside rail and he did well to finish third. He has shown plenty of promise this spring and can win off this mark.

Another to take out of the race was the fast-finishing grey Popmaster. Ed Walker’s veteran had a wall of horses in front of him on the rail a furlong out and somehow still finished fourth. He didn’t have any luck on his previous start either when drawn in stall two in the Victoria Cup at Ascot.

Once given racing room in the final furlong in Epsom’s mile handicap on Friday, he flew home, recording the fastest final furlong of the race (12.48 seconds). His time from the three-furlong pole to the winning psot was also the second-highest in the field.

He has been competitive off higher marks than this before and is one to keep on side at a more suitable track such as Ascot, where he finished he has won twice and finished second three times, including in the Wokingham Stakes off 1lb higher.

Mick and David Easterby’s four-year-old was third in Friday’s finale but was badly hampered, and the combination of rain-softened ground and the downhill straight at Epsom was unlikely to play to his strengths in any case (he is two from two on fast ground at the ultra-stiff Beverley over half a furlong further than this).

He rallied once hampered two furlongs out and did well to run own Crimson Spirit to finish in the final strides. He remains of interest off this mark back on a faster surface. Hamilton and Pontefract, as well as Beverley where is already a dual winner, are all sure to suit.

Tony Carroll has yet again worked wonders with a new recruit. A winner on stable debut on his seasonal debut at Ripon off a much reduced mark, Dream Composer followed that up with a fine fourth at Goodwood, beaten just half a length when badly hampered, and then was beaten just three lengths at Epsom on Saturday.

He is still well-handicapped on some of his backform and this run was hugely encouraging. Last spring, he went close off mark of 97 - he is currently rated just 84.

Settled at the rear of the field, he found plenty for pressure and was the best of those drawn in a single-figure draw (stall six). The first six home came from births 20, 18, 10, 16, 11 and 17.

His FSP was the highest of all 20 runners (96.44 per cent), as was his time through the final furlong.

The William Haggas-trained Maltese Cross continued his steady progression with a fine effort to finish second in the Premier Classic on Saturday.

His connections' seemingly have little doubt that he will fare much better on a sounder surface, so it was impressive that he responded so gamely for Tom Marquand in the closing stages. No other colt in the field could match his maximum stride length of 7.34m and his stride frequency of 2.11 strides per second is indicative of a horse that should thrive over further.

Given he is by Sea The Stars and out of a mile and three-quarter winner, there is every chance he will stay the extended trip in the St Leger, but given his trainer has already indicated he will now have some time off, and is not usually strongly represented in the Classics, the best-priced 6-1 for the Doncaster showpiece makes little appeal.

For now, I would rather sit and wait to see which route connections decide to go. Whatever path they do take, he can take high rank among the top middle-distance three-year-olds this season, and may still have more improvement to come.