Horse Racing Betting Tips: Lake Volta can keep punters afloat in the lucky last

EPSOM Downs will be littered with losing betslips come the final race of the two-day Investec Derby Festival, and hopefully we can lighten the load of Sunday’s clean-up operation by putting up a winner in the last.

You may not need to look any further down the racecard than top-weight LAKE VOLTA, who you may remember from his runaway victory in the Listed Surrey Stakes over seven furlongs at this meeting last year.

That win came over seven furlongs on soft ground, so it may seem unconvential that he’s taking his chance over today’s six-furlong trip on a much faster surface.

However, Mark Johnston’s runner proved he is very versatile with a commanding win over today’s trip on quick ground at Goodwood last time out and a repeat of that run will put him bang in contention again.

You get plenty of hard-luck stories at Epsom, so the fact he’s likely to be ridden on the front-end is another positive.

Lake Volta isn’t the only name that may ring a bell for Epsom racegoers, as previous winners of this race Ashpan Sam, Blaine and Reputation all take their chance again.

Ashpan Sam is rated 11lbs lower than when winning this in 2015 but will well and truly have to roll back the years to get involved again, and the same can be said for Blaine who also looks to be regressing.

Reputation has shown bits and pieces of form lately but will have to pull off a career best to defy a mark of 97.

Spanish City, representing the in-form Roger Varian stable, is dropping back in trip having made his last nine starts over seven furlongs.

His reappearance run, finishing a neck second at Newmarket last month, was encouraging but he still has a bit to prove over this shorter trip.

Stone Of Destiny could be the biggest threat to my selection, Lake Volta, given his form over sprinting distances in Group and Listed company.