With Epsom taking centre stage from Friday, plenty of punters up and down the country will be looking to the head of the market to guide their bets in the Epsom Oaks and Derby. Below, we focus on the favourites for the fillies’ Classic, the Oaks, on Friday, 31st May.
Ylang Ylang – Aidan O’Brien
Despite not taking the world by storm at two, Ylang Ylang was still a Group 1 winning juvenile by the end of 2023. She took some time to truly come to hand, winning on her first two starts, but finishing last of nine on her Group 1 debut at the Curragh. She would put that right two races later, winning the Fillies’ Mile at Doncaster.
She was far from disgraced on her return either, drifting away from favouritism for the 1000 Guineas, but staying on to be beaten just a length in fifth. That 1m trip was almost certainly short of what she will require to be at her best, and this middle distance Classic may bring that out instead.
Rubies Are Red – Aidan O’Brien
Maidens in Classics are a rare breed, but you only need to go back to 2018 for the last maiden to win the Oaks, and she was also trained by Aidan O’Brien. Like Forever Together, the scorer six years ago, Rubies Are Red has generally improved from race to race without winning while also coming into this having gone into many notebooks in the Lingfield Oaks Trial.
Forever Together had met enormous trouble in running when second in the 2018 Cheshire Oaks before winning at Epsom, while Rubies Are Red found herself miles behind entering the straight at Lingfield earlier in May. However, she sprouted wings to be beaten just half-a-length and, if able to remain in contention, looks sure to stay on better than most here.
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Ante-post favourite Ylang Ylang continues to dominate the market for the 2024 Oaks run at Epsom on Friday, 31st May. She was declared on Wednesday by her trainer, Aidan O’Brien, and can be backed at best odds of 2/1 for the end-of-week showpiece. O’Brien is also set to send out Oaks second favourite Rubies Are…
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Ezeliya – Dermot Weld
Though he has produced numerous top class horses, no progeny of Dubawi have ever won an Epsom Classic, a remarkable drought in the context of his stallion career. Ezeliya has a serious chance of breaking that hoodoo if she can be a rare daughter of his to take to Epsom given she is the only recognisable trial winner contending for Ireland in this year’s Oaks.
She won the Group 3 Salsabil Stakes at Navan in good style in her warm-up and won on soft/heavy ground as a two-year-old. She will not be dependent on any type of surface and stated 1m2f well last time. The extra 2f could also be within her range.
Forest Fairy – Ralph Beckett
Despite winning the first two Classics on home turf, British trainers are struggling to keep up in the market for the Oaks. Their primary hope looks set to be the unbeaten Forest Fairy, winner of both of her starts for Ralph Beckett, including in the Cheshire Oaks last time.
She will have the benefit of three stablemates in the race to potentially help her tactically and she has impressed both with the manner of her debut success at Wolverhampton by six lengths, and by outstaying her rivals at Chester. A test of stamina may set this up beautifully for her.
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