Friday horse racing tips: Tom Lunn’s best bets at Epsom

talkSPORT have you covered with horse racing free bets and also racing tips for Friday’s meeting at Epsom Downs for the Derby Festival, with the Oaks the feature for the day.

Tom Lunn has gone through the racecard, form, going, race replays and much more to help guide your horse racing betting choices with a few tips on the day’s action.

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Friday horse racing tips

Epsom

• 13.30: Chairmanfourtimes 20/1 each-way (0.5pt)
• 14.40: Ice Max 5/1 each-way (1pt)
• 16.00, Oaks: Amelia Earthart 9/4 (1pt) & Venetian Lace 14/1 each-way (1pt)

Chairmanfourtimes

A higher draw is slightly advantageous in a race like this as it gives horses a slightly shorter course, while providing horses that quicken late on a chance to hit the front as well over those that tire going all out early on.

That means keen horses like Shes Got A Brother might find herself outpaced late on at this sharp and unforgiving course.

The winner in the last two renewals of this race have won so from stall 7.

That also must be why Wedonttelllies is the favourite here having won well last time out from off the pace at the sharp sprint track at Goodwood, so Epsom should suit very well.

However, in stall 4 isn’t given too much room for improvement.

Which makes an each-way play much more appealing including a long-shot Chairmanfourtimes.

The conditions and track will suit this horse who’s been dropped another 4lb and will also appreciate a pace to aim at before striking late.

Ice Max

We move onto the Betfred Diomed Stakes, a Group 3 contest over an extended 1m course.

Trailed Lambourn closely at Chester, a similarly sharp track in May before placing sixth – albeit less than two lengths off of Boiling Point at Goodwood.

Drop back down to 1m is a plus and placed an incredibly close second in this race last year behind Persica, looks a good price on that basis.

Amelia Earhart & Venetian Lace

Now for the big one, the Oaks, a historic Classic that gets the flat season really going as it’s quickly followed by the Derby and Royal Ascot throughout June.

Three-year-old fillies and colts to be fair are still very much learning their trade. Some are race-ready from the get go but there are some that go on to impress in their second year of racing, i.e. now.

Which is why eight of the last 12 winners won on their last run before winning the Epsom Oaks.

Aidan O’Brien has absolutely dominated this race winning it as many as seven times in the last 11 renewals.

However, only two of the last 12 were favourites or joint favourites, yet 9 of the last 12 were still inside the top three of the market.

Stall 1 is notoriously difficult to win from and that could rule out the hope for Legacy Link before the race has even set off.

19 of the last 24 runners from stall 1 ended up being unplaced in the Epsom Oaks.

Favourite Amelia Earthart is drifting late on ahead of the day from 15/8 to 9/4 best odds.

I’d be keen sticking with her despite the drift as it starts to look even better value if she’s around 3/1.

Venetian Lace is by Derby winner Masar so there has to be a shout for this chestnut filly stepping up in trip having shown Group 1 pace at 1m already, so appeals a lot as an each-way bet alongside Amelia Earhart straight win.

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Tom Lunn’s Horse Racing Profit & Loss

• March ’26: +11.31pts
• From October ’25: +38.46pts
• From March ’25: +109.76pts
• From Oct ’23: +419.61pts

All odds correct at time of writing

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