Bank on Top Beak to take honours in Derby Trial

Victory for TOP BEAK in the Investec Derby Trial is unlikely to make many waves in the Classic betting, but he nevertheless merits an interest at Epsom.

This 12-furlong heat has not yielded a subsequent Derby winner since Peter Pan in 1939 and given the highest rated runner in the race is off a mark of 99, the mile-and-a-half event appears to be a Derby Trial in name only again.

That said, there are a clutch of unexposed runners in the field and Top Beak could be worth taking a chance on despite having to find a chunk of weight with top-rated Humphrey Bogart.

Top Beak has had just the one start to date when he was something of a rare first-time-out winner for Hughie Morrison at Windsor last October.

Triumphing over an extended mile, Top Beak ground out a head victory over Mountain Bell and while the verdict was hardly impressive, the fact the second, third, fourth and fifth have all won since gives the form a pleasing lustre.

Ennaadd was one of those in behind and given he now boasts a rating of 106, Top Beak’s win looks pretty good.

The Lawman colt has some way to go to make up into a Classic contender – he is currently 100-1 for the Derby – but the fact Morrison runs at all is worth noting.

Not every horse acts around the undulating Epsom track, so the fact Prendergast Hill is already a course winner counts as a massive positive in the Investec Corporate Banking Great Metropolitan Handicap.

The four-year-old won a 10-furlong event on the Downs last September on what was the last of his three 2015 outings for Ed de Giles.

He then returned to action over 11 furlongs at Kempton last month where he just could not make up ground quickly enough in finishing fourth, suggesting a step up in trip might be a wise option.

A couple of his siblings have been notable stayers so there is every hope 12 furlongs should suit.

The battle for the trainers’ championship continues apace with Willie Mullins turning his sights on Perth.

Mullins has made little secret of the fact he will be chasing the pennies this week as he attempts to be the first Irishbased handler to take the handlers’ prize since the great Vincent O’Brien 62 years ago.

To that end, NAMBOUR is dropped back in class for the British Stallions Future Champions EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle after twice placing in Graded company of late.

The six-year-old has chased home Acapella Bourgeois at Grade Two level at both Thurles and Fairyhouse on his two most recent outings, narrowing the gap from five lengths to just a head last time.

He was only beaten in the final strides that day but remains an animal of potential and one that can bag an allimportant first prize in this £18,000 event, with stablemate Up For Review also due to pick up a chunk of cash. SELECTIONS: EPSOM: 2.00 Roudee, 2.30 TOP BEAK (NAP), 3.05 Prendergast Hill, 3.40 Dark Red, 4.15 Silca Star, 4.50 Gold Faith.

PERTH: 2.10 Misfits, 2.40 Song Saa, 3.15 Nambour, 3.50 Silver Tassie, 4.25 Frontier Vic, 5.00 Mossies Well, 5.30 Banyu.

DOUBLE: Top Beak and Nambour