Epsom Friday

Betfred Oaks (Group 1)

THE Group 1 Betfred Oaks, the third classic of the season, went to Aidan O’Brien for a remarkable 11th time as Minnie Hauk (Ryan Moore) got the better of a duel with stable-companion and fellow trial winner Whirl (Wayne Lordan), with the pair first and second from the outset.

Whirl set a solid pace under Lordan and set her stall out from an early stage, but Ryan Moore was always stalking the leader and after a protracted battle, the 9/2 shot edged ahead inside the distance to win by a neck.

The pair pulled four lengths clear of favourite Desert Flower (Charlie Appleby/William Buick), who was clearly not travelling as well as the front two from a long way out, with her class eventually seeing her into the money but below the form she showed when winning the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Moore said of Minnie Hauk: “She’s still learning a bit - she didn’t have much racing at two. Aidan had a lot of faith in her and said she’d come on a lot since Chester.

“She travelled round strong. The filly in front didn’t quit at all. I picked her up quite easily but then I was a bit green in front, and she just wanted to roll down the camber, but when the other filly came back, she went on again. She’s a talented filly and obviously stays very well.

“Her mind’s good but she’s still learning. I’m very happy with her and hopefully she’ll build on this.”

Classy filly

Aidan O’Brien said: “She’s a very classy filly. She was just ready to run at Chester, she barely made it, but she made abnormal improvement, which we thought she might - it was all class rather than stamina or fitness, she just has a lot of class.

“Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, he loved her the last day and he loved her again today so it’s very exciting. I’d say she’s still a bit green.

“Obviously at Chester she learned a lot, but she was always going to improve with racing. What you love about her is she’s a great traveller with a lot of class.

“Ryan said he was going very easy early on, so usually that means she can step up into higher class races - she could take on the boys if the lads decide it. I’m delighted for them to have another filly like this.”

Bred by Ben Sangster out of a half-sister to Kingman, the Frankel filly topped the 2023 Goffs Orby Sale when selling for €1.85 million to Coolmore.

Betfred Coronation Cup

(Group 1)

THE Group 1 Coronation Cup was a fascinating clash on paper between International Stakes and Champion Stakes runner-up Calandagan and the St Leger winner Jan Brueghel, and that’s just how it turned out.

The 10/3 second-favourite Jan Brueghel (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) went through the race tracked by his market rival, and when Calandagan (Francis-Henri Graffard/Mickael Barzalona) looked up a furlong out having initially struggled on the camber, it looked like he would end a frustrating run of seconds in Group 1 company.

That would be figuring without Ryan Moore, however, and while Calandagan appeared to hang fire after getting on terms, it was Jan Brueghel who dug deep to find extra under a fine ride to win by half a length, with the pair seven lengths clear of Giavellotto (Marco Botti/Oisin Murphy) in third.

Jan Brueghel, who sat a little off the pace cut out by stablemate Continuous, clearly wanted it more here than the runner-up, although Barzalona was of the opinion that his mount was just outstayed in the conditions.

Whatever view you take, excuses are now wearing thin for a horse who has finished second in four consecutive Group 1 contests.

The winner had himself looked reluctant when beaten by Galen in the Alleged Stakes on his return, but looked a leaner, hungrier horse here, and that showed in his demeanour in the race, with no sign of the awkward head carriage he displayed in the Alleged. O’Brien, who was registering his 10th victory in the Coronation Cup, said: “He had a lovely run back first time, but it was only over a mile and a quarter, and he got beaten by a good horse of Joseph’s.

“We felt that he came forward great. It was a bit unfair what I did. I pitched him in early over a mile and a quarter, but we just needed to get him out and started. He’s a very brave horse. He’s one of those horses that if you pass him slowly, you’re in trouble.”

O’Brien added: “Ryan gave him an incredible ride, he got him lovely and balanced and let him into a lovely rhythm. You could see him start to come from a long way out. In the straight he carried him; incredible.”

Formal back to form

Oaks day opened with the Listed Surrey Stakes over seven furlongs and the race went to the ex-Sir Michael Stoute filly Formal (Oisin Murphy) on her second start since joining Andrew Balding.

Beaten in the Fred Darling Stakes first time, she was very well backed overnight and delivered on the promise she showed when winning twice as a juvenile.

Ridden handily by Murphy, Formal eased to the front early in the straight and pulled away to beat Saqqara Sands (Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan) and joint-favourite Diego Ventura (Hamad Al Jehani/James Doyle) by a length and a half and a length and a quarter.

“It made our decision easy,” said Balding of her unplaced effort in the Fred Darling at Newbury. “We skipped any idea of a Guineas and rebooted, and this became the obvious choice. It’s a relief to see her win like that.

“She had been quite keen early doors at home and her work is very good at home, but we thought now she had the first run under her belt we would take the hood off. She travelled really strongly but didn’t over-race.

“I think we’ll probably wait for something like the Oak Tree. I don’t think we want to be squeezing races into her and that looks the right spot. We know she goes well on slow ground so we would have the whole autumn ahead of us.”

Godolphin’s £720,000 Mehmas two-year-old Maximized also justified favouritism in the six-furlong Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes.

Now two from two, he will line up in the Coventry Stakes if running at Ascot, or alternativbely target the July Stakes at Newmarket.