It should be a penalty kick but can she be trusted? Running Lion bids for overdue first Group win

This race revolves around one horse but a frustrating one in Running Lion. She is a filly with Group 1 potential who has yet to win anything better than a Listed race, so is underachieving.

Her latest run at Newmarket was a microcosm of her career. She travelled through the race like a dream and kicked clear after taking over just after halfway. It looked like she would win by a long way and she was matched at 1.01 in running on Betfair before it all fell apart.

She hung badly left-handed towards the stands’ side rail from over two furlongs out and then proceeded to throw away certain victory, tying up badly to ultimately be beaten three and a half lengths behind Stay Alert. That was a Group 2 and she should have won it easily.

So now rather than going back up into a Group 1 following a victory, Running Lion takes a significant drop in grade into a Group 3 and it isn’t a strong one for the class of race, either.

It should be a penalty kick for a filly with her ability, but she has now been beaten five times in a row and twice after hitting odds-on in running, so can she be trusted to get the job done?

The track poses a big challenge too. The famous camber at Epsom tends to carry horses left and Running Lion hung badly that way at Newmarket last time without the help of the contours. Oisin Murphy will need to get her running straight first, before she goes forwards.

If she is going backwards mentally then this might be too tough for her but, judging strictly on Racing Post Ratings, her last run was her best and a reproduction should be good enough to beat a field that doesn’t contain a single Group winner among them.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

David O'Meara, trainer of Julia Augusta
It's a big ask on her first run for me. She just missed out on some black type last time at Kempton, but she looks good and has been training well, so I'm happy to start her there and see how she goes.

James Tate, trainer of Royal Dress
It was her first run for us when she won the Listed race at Goodwood and she appears to have come out of it better than she went into it. We're very optimistic of another big run. Epsom is obviously a unique track but she's been flying at home since her last run, so we've got our fingers crossed.

Oisin Murphy, rider of Running Lion
I couldn't get her to settle at Newmarket. She hit the front way too soon and this is a competitive field, but her run last time was good and she should improve fitness-wise, so hopefully she can go well.

Mario Baratti, trainer of Sea Of Thieves
If you look at her form from last year you might think she'd be up against it but in view of the way she won first time out for us and the way she is in the mornings, I'm optimistic. I think the step up in trip will help rather than hinder. The form of her win has been boosted and she is in good form. I think she'll run well.

George Boughey, trainer of Chic Colombine
She was drawn poorly in the French 1,000 Guineas on ground that didn't suit her, but there's only one Guineas and we thought we'd give it a go. She comes here in as good a form as I can have her. Any additional rain will certainly aid her chance.

Ralph Beckett, trainer of Glimpsed
Glimpsed is a handy, smallish filly who enjoys juice in the ground, and so Epsom should suit her well.
Reporting by Catherine Macrae

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3.45 Epsom: Blink and you'll miss it: speedsters set to fly in fastest five furlongs of all, the Dash

4.30 Epsom: 'He's always had loads of class and stamina' - Aidan O'Brien, Charlie Appleby and more on their big Derby hopefuls

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