Casamento expected to be Godolphin’s Derby absentee
Published:Godolphin have confirmed that at least one of their three Derby entries will not run on June 4th and it appears that Casamento is the obvious candidate to miss out on a trip to Epsom.
Casamento is 25/1 in the Derby odds and this certainly represents solid each-way value for a horse that has previously won a Group One when landing the Racing Post Trophy in October.
However, Casamento was extremely disappointing on his latest start in the 2000 Guineas when finishing a distant tenth behind Frankel.
Ocean War and Genius Beast are Godolphin’s other horses on course to head to Epsom and racing manager Simon Crisford is waiting to see how the latter runs in France this weekend before making a concrete decision.
He revealed on the Godolphin website: “We have three horses in the mix for the Derby – one of them will end up in France but we don’t know which one yet.
“We are very happy with how the horses are progressing. We have some nice three-year-olds and it would be great if we could be competitive in the Derby.”
The alternate option for Casamento is the French Derby at Chantilly, which takes place the day after the English version and is likely to be an easier contest to allow the horse to regain some confidence after his Newmarket disappointment.
Ocean War has looked relatively comfortable in winning both of his starts this season and is also 25/1 in the Derby betting.
Meanwhile, Genius Beast could be overpriced at 33/1 to claim a Classic victory given the quality of his display in winning the Group Three bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown last month.
A £30 stake on Genius Beast winning the Derby would return £990. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.
