Epsom Horse Racing Tips: Ground to help Botanical bloom in 20/1 double

• Last year's St Leger winner looks the bet for the Coronation Cup

• Ground to come right for Boughey's Botanical

• Alan Dudman's two tips for Epsom on Friday return 20/121.00 for a Sportsbook double 

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Epsom - 14:40: Back Jan Brueghel @ 15/44.75

The Coronation Cup revolves around the odds-on favourite Calandagan, and I cannot knock the price for a top Group 1 performer at 4/51.80, but with the rains this morning added with the bonus of the extra watering earlier in this week, this will be a test. Whether it will be a mudbath we'll see, and while he will be happy in soft and heavy, I am leaning towards the extra stamina of Jan Brueghel.

Aidan O'Brien historically has run and won with stayers for this. Yeats and Fame And Glory spring to mind, and as last year's St Leger winner, stamina is not an issue.

He has the perfect prep for this with a comeback run over a far too short 1m2f on good ground last time, and unsurprisingly found it too much of a speed test.

O'Brien was worried about the ground last year at the Curragh in the Group 3 International, and he did change his legs in that race, but it could have been down to inexperience as it was only good to soft, but he was organised well by Ryan Moore and he obviously kicked on from that.

At 15/44.75 he looks the bet here.

Epsom - 15:15: Back Botanical @ 7/24.50

Rain for Botanical is certainly most welcome - a horse proven on heavy and soft, although he has been a little underwhelming in his two runs this term.

His comeback for the season in the Doncaster Mile looked a couple of furlongs too short for him, especially with his first run of 2025, and he was well beaten at Kempton last time in fifth in a Listed contest. In that, he looked a bit short of speed into the turn and wasn't helped being wide, but I think he's a better horse than he looked visually there.

Back into handicap company today, his second from the John Smith's Cup at York off 107 puts him firmly in the picture in terms of his mark, but if you go through his form on both soft at Hamilton and heavy at Goodwood, he travelled noticeably better and smoother in both and that's what sways me here.

He has the added cheekpieces today for the first time with the tongue tie and conditions should be prime for a big run.

May winners at BSP:

Falakeyah 2.66
Cinderella's Dream 2.58
Seraphim Angel (place) 2.79
Sea Invasion 3.42
Jabbar (place) 2.72
La Trinidad 6.35 (place)
Carmers 2.77
Glamorous Breeze 7.92
Socialite 4.75
Opera Ballo 2.54
Sunlit Uplands 6.0
Glory Hyde 5.7

June winners at BSP:

White Clover 9.04
Petra Celera (place) 3.25
Jabbar (place) 4.84
Zahrann 3.77

Now read more tips and previews for Friday here!