Hi all,
Today’s main piece wraps up the Epsom reflections with a look back at Friday’s Oaks and Coronation Cup. Plus, a couple of Epsom eyecatchers worth adding to the tracker.
Epsom Oaks Day
Two Group 1s headlined Friday—and, no surprise, Aidan O’Brien won them both.
Minnie Hauk Makes It Eleven for O’Brien
Minnie Hauk gave Aidan O’Brien an 11th Oaks win. Ryan Moore kept things simple, riding positively and always in the right place. The filly improved for the step up to 1m 4f and outstayed stablemate Whirl, who had dictated the pace under Wayne Lordan.
Whirl was headed two out but showed real heart to come again and force a tight finish. She actually handled Epsom slightly better than the winner, who edged left late, but Minnie Hauk had more in the tank.
Both are high-class middle-distance fillies and will win more races. Whirl doesn’t have the size of Minnie Hauk, but she’s got plenty of heart.
The Irish Oaks is next for Minnie Hauk, and she’ll take plenty of beating at the Curragh.
Further back, Desert Flower never looked happy. She was pushed along down the hill and didn’t handle the track before finishing third. The trip may not have been the issue—Charlie Appleby mentioned the Yorkshire Oaks as her next target, which suggests stamina wasn’t the problem.
Both the Oaks & Derby were won by horses who had won at Chester’s May meeting which was a nice boost for that track.
Jan Brueghel Battles to Coronation Cup Glory
Jan Brueghel showed real fight to fend off odds-on favourite Calandagan and give O’Brien an 11th win in the Coronation Cup.
There was no sign of his awkward head carriage. Instead, he lowered his head and responded well under pressure. The time was good and a strongly run 1m 4f clearly suits. He’ll be a major player in all the top Group 1 middle-distance races this summer.
Calandagan looked to have the race in hand when looming upsides inside the final furlong but was either outbattled or simply outstayed late on. That’s now four runner-up finishes since winning at Royal Ascot last June. He’s classy—but expensive to follow at short prices. Still, by season’s end, being second to Jan Brueghel might read very well.
Epsom Final Recap
I touched yesterday on the fading magic of Derby Day. The crowd’s gone, the buzz is gone—and if it’s ever to return, it must start with The Hill. That once iconic infield looked empty again this year. No grass packed with people, just more signs of decline.
Then there’s watering.
Andrew Cooper says he’s happy to run the Derby on good to firm. That’s hard to believe when you’re watering on Tuesday with rain in the forecast. Had the rain arrived just a bit earlier, Derby ground would’ve been soft.
As I’ve said before—some Clerks water when there’s no rain forecast, and still water when it is forecast. It’s a nightmare if you’ve got a fast-ground horse. Chester’s May meeting had zero rain, yet the ground was still on the soft side of good. York nearly went the same way. That wasn’t “good to firm” either.
Epsom Eyecatchers
Friday showed a clear track bias—prominent racers had a big advantage. Horses coming from the rear had no real chance, so it's worth marking up a few.
Defiance – Roger Varian
Back from a 350-day layoff, he did best of the hold-up runners when fourth (beaten 5¼ lengths) behind Ecureuil Secret in Friday’s 1m 2f handicap. He’ll come on for this run and looks on a winnable mark.
Vintage Clarets & Jer Batt
Both have been noted here before and remain of interest. Vintage Clarets ran a solid fourth in the ‘Dash' and would have preferred it even softer. Jer Batt, sent off 7/2 favourite, blew the start and was never in it. A more galloping 5f will suit him far better.
Rousing Encore – Ruth Carr
Up 5lb from his York win, he still ran with credit when a 1 ¼ length 4th of 11 to Sondad in the concluding 6f handicap. His previous best from had come on a sounder surface but handled soft well enough. Still in form and remains one to be interested in the coming weeks.
That's my Epsom eyecatchers completed.
Good luck with your Tuesday bets.
John