Market favourite Desert Flower will face eight rivals in Friday’s Oaks in her attempt for a Classic double after taking the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket last month.
Desert Flower, who has been drawn in stall one, is bidding to give trainer Charlie Appleby his first Oaks success.
The three-strong Aidan O’Brien team made up of trial winners Whirl, Minnie Hauk and Giselle will be her main challengers.
Oaks Runner-By-Runner Guide:
Desert Flower (Charlie Appleby)
Winner of all four of her starts last season, which included the May Hill Stakes and the Fillies’ Mile, and returned this term with a solid victory in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Rated 117, she is clearly the form pick on the ratings, but she will have to prove herself going past a mile for the first time. Her breeding suggests that won’t be a problem and she is a worthy favourite in our betting market for the Oaks.
Elwateen (Saeed bin Suroor)
Supplemented for £30,000, connections have been quite content to pay that following her outstanding run in 1000 Guineas on what was just her second outing.
Saeed bin Suroor’s charge only made her debut in August last year when scoring at Kempton, and her Dubawi credentials should really come to fore over this 1m4f trip.
Giselle (Aidan O’Brien)
Successful in our William Hill sponsored Oaks Trial at Lingfield, Giselle impressed with the way she powered clear in the closes stages, despite only racing against two inferior rivals.
If this daughter of Frankel can settle then she holds a great chance but it is significant that Ryan Moore has opted to ride Minnie Hauk.
Go Go Boots (John & Thady Gosden)
Gosden’s filly looks to have plenty to find against strong opposition, and she was no match for Whirl at York in the Musidora.
Minnie Hauk (Aidan O’Brien)
Landed the Cheshire Oaks by a length at Chester, proving that she will stay the Oaks trip.
Worryingly though, none of Aidan O’Brien’s eight previous winners of the Chester trial have gone on to claim Oaks glory, but connections are of the view that there is a lot more to come from the filly, plus Ryan Moore has fully endorsed her.
Qilin Queen (Ed Walker)
Gained a Listed victory last time out after being placed twice in similar affairs, and Qilin Queen showed a great attitude at Newbury.
Connections are expecting further improvement over this trip, but she will need to step up yet another notch to challenge the main protagonists.
Revoir (Ralph Beckett)
Revoir hails from a family with an Oaks winner in it, with 2008 winner Look Here being a half-sister to this filly’s grandam.
Beckett also landed the Oaks with Talent (20-1 in the horse racing odds) in 2013, so she’s one to keep an eye on.
Wemightakedlongway (Joseph O’Brien)
Wemightakedlongway achieved Group Three success over a mile-and-a-quarter at Navan when last seen in April. She pulled clear of her rivals that day to score by two-and-three-quarter-lengths.
There have to be some niggling doubts about her staying this trip however.
Whirl (Aidan O’Brien)
Wootton Bassett fillies are always worth following, and this one looks like she will be hitting the pinnacle of the Classic pyramid imminently.
A smart winner of the Musidora at York, she never had to come out of second gear that day and this extended trip will be entirely up her street.
She ranks as the main danger to the Godolphin’s Desert Flower.
Epsom Oaks prediction and tip: Whirl (E/W, 7/1)
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at time of writing*
