1000 Guineas flop Precise may restore her reputation at Epsom. The Newmarket favourite only finished seventh in the first fillies’ Classic. She is now set for a potentially busy schedule, with the Irish 1000 Guineas next and a tilt at the Oaks to follow.
Precise produced a barnstorming juvenile campaign in 2025. After defeat on debut, she racked up four successive victories, including two Group 1s. Those came over 7f in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, then 1m in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket. She then failed to reproduce that form over course and distance earlier this month.
Being by Starspangledbanner, she would not be the most obvious type for 1m4f. However, there could be sufficient stamina on her dam’s side. Aidan O’Brien, speaking at a media morning as reported by Racing TV, suggested Epsom could be on her radar as a result.
“We always had it in our head that Precise could get the Oaks trip and could go to the Irish Guineas and come back to the Oaks. You can do it with two weeks between them and Minding did it, so it is possible.”
Oaks favourite Amelia Earhart “has a kink in her”
Were she also to run at Epsom, she would join new Oaks favourite Amelia Earhart in the race. Her stablemate was an impressive winner of the Cheshire Oaks when upped in trip last week. She dethrones previous Oaks favourite I’m The One with a power-packed display.
“She has a kink in her and we saw it a few times last year. That’s why she had the gear on her. We tried everything during the winter with her and this is what we landed on as it’s what she behaved best in. She behaved very well at Chester and it’s probably as close to Epsom as you’d get. It’s on a lesser scale but all the things such as people, track, crowd are there and they’ve to deal with a lot of stuff.
“It didn’t make any sense as one is to slow her down and the other is to drive her forward! But sometimes if things work, you just do them.”
Though Amelia Earhart looks an obvious Oaks type, the quality of both fillies is in no doubt. With Precise leaving such an impression up until the 1000 Guineas, Ryan Moore’s decision is an unenviable one for Epsom.
“If she did go to the Oaks, it would be another difficult one for Ryan,” O’Brien confirmed. “He’d have to ride Precise very patiently, whereas he knows Amelia Earhart will get the trip.”